


Cowboys, Horses, and Girls

by Grace Kay (Drummerchick7)



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-01
Updated: 2013-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-31 03:06:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 60,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drummerchick7/pseuds/Grace%20Kay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oh My! Jane Shepard is a cowboy. Or a spy. Or a marine. Depends on the day and the assignment, really. Accompanied by James, she goes on her last under-cover mission - to rescue the damsel-in-distress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jane Shepard didn't like incognito missions. She preferred to run in with guns blazing, wasting no time on diplomacy, or on sneaking around. The fact remained, though, that she was  _good_  at incognito missions. She always got shit done, better than anyone else. She took pride in whatever work she did, whether it be spy-type work or the jarhead kind. If all went well, however, this would be the last time she was in disguise; sneaking in and out unseen she might still be doing, but a new identity and back-story? Never again. As she dressed in her civvies and cowboy hat, she vowed to do well, if for no other reason than she could strap a damn gun to her hip on her next mission.

Shepard walked to the transport station, her giant of a dog – actually a highly trained military canine – at her heel and luggage in-hand. Her ship could have dropped her off, but she preferred to do things right, and right was not always easy. She did not want to be traced back to the Alliance – for her story to be as plausible as possible, she started her journey where she said she had. The less you had to lie, the better, she figured; if you start where you say you came from, you wouldn't have to lie, and the less you lied, the less you had to remember. She generally incorporated her real background, and her real hobbies and personality, into her persona if she could. It made her more believable, and it made the things that didn't  _have_  to be hard, well, not hard.

She was met at the transport hub by a burly man in a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a tight white T-shirt tucked in, true cowboy style. "Hey, Lola," he said in greeting, using their agreed-upon name for her. The man was a fellow marine, placed under her command for many of her missions. He wasn't up for the same promotion as she was, but he was also one of the best, for the same reasons she was – he made it so he lied as little as possible on these missions.

"Hey, Diego," she responded. His name was actually James, but he needed a different name, too. When they'd first met many months before, he had begun calling her Lola, explaining that she reminded him of a Lola he'd known as a teen, and the name had stuck. In return, Shepard had begun calling him Diego, the Spanish word for his own name. The names quickly became their favored special-assignment personas, as well as constant nicknames for each other. The best part was that the alter-egos were simply Shepard and James when on shore-leave – a little loud sometimes, a little inappropriate at others, and most importantly, two colony kids who had a history with animals and a love of backwoods music. He carried a guitar in a battered case in addition to his luggage, and she carried a mandolin.

"Hey there, Baxter," he said, kneeling some so he could give the dog a kiss on the top of his nose, getting a lick to his cheek in exchange. "You ready to go? I'm excited for this job."

"Yeah, we're ready. Don't know what you're excited about, though." They turned, James taking one of her bags for her so she could clip Baxter up to a leash for the duration of the trip. "It's just a routine horse-training gig. Wouldn't have even taken it if I didn't need the money, but someone's gotta fund your poker habits," she said, throwing him a grin. Again, most of that had been true. They'd been on several missions together like this, James playing Shepard's hired hand on fine estates that had need of her abilities as a trainer, as well as her expertise at recon and, sometimes, theft (or re-theft – taking something back that didn't belong to the estate-owner in the first place). He'd also lost a good portion of his "earnings" from her in playing cards with whatever locals or employees were around most evenings. She never knew if he did it on purpose or not – when they played together, he was decent.

"Very funny,  _boss_ ," he said, keeping up the banter as they boarded their transport and moved to find the small, private cabin they'd booked for the duration of the flight. They'd be at their destination in ten hours, but wanted to spend as many of them in private, and maybe even sleeping, as possible. Plus, most aliens didn't like dogs, and she preferred not to make a scene. He may be highly trained, but he was still a dog, and still did disgusting dog things.

"You know, you stop losing your hard-earned credits in a single night, and you might even be able to strike out on your own instead of 'helping' me," she continued, hauling their luggage into the racks above their seats. He only grunted in response. She took her mandolin from him, looking at the closed case longingly before stowing it, as well. No one liked that kind of music, from that kind of instrument, with the close-quarters of civilian transports. They'd have to wait until they were at their destination to make their sweet, hillbilly music together.

"What do you know about the guy we'll be workin' for?"

"Not much," she said, shrugging. This was untrue. She knew so much that she knew when he usually took a shit – in the morning, after the run he usually took – but the less James knew the better. The less you knew, the less you had to lie, the less you had to remember. He knew she was purposely keeping things from him, too. And he understood its necessity. "He's rich, he likes horses, and bought a few of the prettiest ones he could find. Demon-spawn, apparently, though, hence the need for you and me. Here's an interesting bit, though. He settled on Filebar. Slavery's legal there, one of the few places it is where humans are allowed to settle. So he might be a big ol' scumbag and own slaves." James knew this, too, but nodded nonetheless. "Oh, also, Filebar's day is 30 hours, give or take. So that'll be interesting."

"This mean I'll get paid more than once a week?" He grinned.

Shepard snorted a laugh. "Probably. You get paid automatically, so sometimes it'll probably be less than seven days before you're paid again, yeah."

James put his hands behind his head and leaned back, stretching his legs out in front of him, crossed at the ankle, to the side of Shepard's legs. " _Excelente_ ," he murmured in Spanish, pulling his hat down over his eyes in preparation for dozing. Baxter, too, prepared for sleep, curling up on the seat next to James, his head on the giant man's lap. Shepard smirked at them, so charming and hokey, before taking their lead and curling up on the two seats she had to herself, being so much smaller than the two before her, so that she could try to get some sleep before they arrived on Filbar for the transport shuttle.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun was bright when they stepped off of the shuttle. Baxter pulled so hard to get to a nearby tree that Shepard was almost pulled over as she exited, instead dropping her bags and running. The poor guy hadn't peed on anything in, like, three hours, and before that he only got one chance, when they transferred from the deep space transport ship to the planetary shuttle transport. Most unsatisfactory for a dog. By the time Shepard was heading back to the landing area, the shuttle was gone, leaving James sitting on a suitcase with his guitar out, tuning it idly while waiting for Shepard to return. As they had no idea where they were going, they were stuck waiting for a while, until someone from the estate came to meet them, so he figured he may as well pass the time on something entertaining.

"Hey," James greeted as she approached, gesturing to her mandolin. The invitation to join him was clear, but she decided not to for now, shaking her head. She wanted to be able to hear when their escort showed up, and her chosen instrument was not one she liked to play quietly. He played for a few more minutes, in which time Shepard decided to go ahead and let Baxter off the leash, with an admonishment to  _stay close_. She didn't want to sit. She'd been sitting for close to fourteen hours, and her ass had gotten numb from it at one point, despite the "comfort" design of the seats on the transport and shuttle. She snorted to herself.  _Comfort Design my ass. Literally…_

She finally broke her silence, kicking at the dirt under her feet. "This place at all like the colony you grew up on, Diego?" It reminded her of old Western vids she'd seen. The colony she'd grown up on was dry, but not dusty like this place. It was lush and green, with lots of bodies of water without being too humid. It got plenty hot in the summer, though, just in time for the harvest of her family's chosen crops.

"Yeah, actually. Dry, dusty, with brown grasses and not a lot of shade. Exactly like the colony I grew up in. From what I know, that's the kind of climate our trade was born in."

"I think you're right, if all of those old, bad Western vids have anything to do with reality. I might actually use the leather chaps in this weather, instead of just getting bruised by bucking horses." In more humid weather, the leather was a recipe for overheating, and made her unbearably uncomfortable. In dry weather like this, it was still hot, but didn't make her clothes stick to her for the hours and hours she worked per day.

"You wear those, Lola, and I might not be able to concentrate on the horses," said James, grinning. Shepard rolled her eyes and kicked a pebble at him. He chuckled to himself and went back to his guitar. "So why are we out here in the middle of nowhere?"

She looked around. She could see the fence surrounding the estate in the distance, behind it trees, but no buildings visible. "You got me," she said with a shrug. "But this is where the public shuttle lands. Maybe he's just paranoid?" She knew he was, because she knew the type – she'd trained horses for the type as a teen. He was a rich, paranoid bastard, and didn't want anyone coming onto his land without his express permission. She guessed there was probably a kinetic barrier around the whole estate, the fence just a decoration. It most assuredly meant he was doing something illegal, though, wanting to monitor all feet coming onto his land.

As she thought it, she saw it – the barrier around the estate flickered, and a sky-car flew out. Not two minutes later, it was landing before them, both doors rising with the sound of hydraulics. There was no driver. They immediately grabbed their bags and stowed them in the back while Baxter happily hopped in. Shepard and James looked at each other a moment, neither wanting to sit alone up front. They made a dash for the remaining back seat, Baxter having already claimed the other. James won, a grin on his face at his victory, and Shepard forced herself to not grumble aloud as she moved around the car to the passenger's seat.

The five minute drive was uneventful, to say the least. They were dumped in front of a large, multi-storied building, the car's automated pilot program taking the car away once their bags were on the ground. Shepard resisted the urge to swear. Instead, she examined the building, and was reminded of descriptions of large estates in old books, and of the old plantation houses in the American South. It was white, with a wrap-around porch, three stories, windows, balconies, the whole nine yards, really. A closer inspection showed that it was at least constructed out of modern materials, though, not wood and brick. All in all, Shepard was left with the impression that this was a disgustingly rich, paranoid bastard who liked to play cowboy, or maybe plantation owner. She hoped she didn't run into him too much – it was going to be hard to keep her dislike from showing on her face for long stretches.

She took her hat off and ran a hand through her red, not-quite-shoulder-length hair, replaced the hat, and grabbed her things. "Come on, Diego, let's go." She clicked her tongue at Baxter, who immediately stopped trying to mark the flowers in front of the house, joining them on the steps to the porch.

* * *

A knock sounded at the door.  _That will be the horse-trainer_ , thought Samantha, wiping her hands on a towel and running on the balls of her bare feet to the front door of the main house. She no longer rolled her eyes at the hinges and the need to open it manually, having gotten used to it some time ago. Her breath caught in her chest, however, at the sight the door revealed. In front of her was one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen. She wore loose-fitting jeans, work boots, a ribbed tank top that left almost nothing to the imagination, and topped it off with a brown leather cowboy hat over blood-red hair. The hat was removed momentarily, tipped like an old Western gentleman, pushing strands of the hair around, some brushing into her face in a very attractive way.

"Afternoon," the woman said, her voice rich and a little deep. Green eyes flashed above the smattering of dark freckles on skin that was clearly tanned darker than its natural hue. "We were hoping to speak with the master of this fine estate. We're the horse-trainer and farrier he hired."  _We?_  Samantha's vision suddenly expanded from the breath-taking woman in front of her, finally allowing her to see a large, similarly dressed, dark-skinned man and a giant of a dog, some kind of shepherd. They were surrounded by luggage.

She finally found her tongue and managed an "of course," ripping her eyes away and casting them toward the floor. "However," she added, "he is not here at the moment. He arranged for you to start your tasks while he is away on business." She took a step back, allowing them to enter the house. They took the unspoken invitation, each grasping handfuls of luggage so as to enter, allowing the door to be shut behind them. "If you wait a moment, I can show you where you'll be staying." She hurried away with the woman's assenting nod, leaving them standing in the entrance, hands tucked into pockets. The dog sat obediently at the woman's feet at a murmured command.

"Steve, can you please assist me? Our new employees have a lot of luggage that needs to be taken to their room." She was back in the kitchen now, spying her fellow as he was just about to leave, an apple in-hand. He looked at it longingly before replacing it, nodding his assent to her. She smiled and turned to return to the entrance, but was stopped when a small boy came padding up to her.

"Momma? Can I meet the new people?" He held on to her skirt once next to her, tugging to be let up. She knelt down next to him.

"Adam, sweetie, I can't carry you right now. I have work to do. But you can come along if you promise to be quiet and not bother them, alright?" He nodded his assent, very similarly to the way Steve had just done, and walked with her silently into the entranceway, still holding on to her skirt. He couldn't contain himself any longer when he saw the dog, however.

"Doggie!" He let go and ran forward, immediately throwing his arms around the giant animal, showing the kind of unbridled enthusiasm solely reserved for children of his age. The dog allowed him, sniffing what parts of the boy he could reach, glancing up at the red-haired woman for permission to play. She smiled and nodded her head, and the dog stood up, licking the boy's face once he'd pulled back.

"Adam, no-" Samantha began, but was cut off by the captivating redhead before her.

"It's alright with me if it's alright with you," the woman said, smiling indulgently. "Can they play down here while you show us where we're staying? He's very well-trained – he won't hurt anything."

"I suppose that's alright... Yes, okay, well, if you'll follow me," and Samantha was off, leading the two guests and Steve, all heavily laden with luggage, through a door off to the side and out of the house, striding several meters before veering off toward a one-story, rectangular building some distance from the main house. She was incredibly self-conscious, aware of how little of her body her "uniform" really covered, especially when her stride was lengthened as it was now. Something about the red-haired woman got her heart beating and her mind racing in a way that hadn't happened in years. Well, there was one other person who did that to her…

She led them to a room in the building, with two twin beds, a wooden desk with a terminal on top, and two windows with a view of the lands of the estate. She made to leave right away, but was stopped by the sight of her son padding into the room, followed by the giant dog. It almost looked as though the dog had been herding him. She raised an eyebrow pointedly at the boy as she spoke. "Adam, the implication was that you would stay in the house," she said, unable to hide her smile as he and the dog both cast their heads down in similar postures of shame at her admonishment.

"Aww, it's alright," said the giant man that had so far remained silent. He addressed the dog. "Baxter was probably just making sure to follow us, and didn't wanna leave the little guy alone, right Baxter?" The dog's head shot up at his name, his tail wagging hopefully.

"Well," she said, being glad for the protective set of eyes on her son, despite his disobeying. "I suppose, in that case…"

"You know," said the redhead, "we're not slated to start really working until the morning. If you need someone to watch him while you finish your work, I could sic Baxter on him. He's an excellent herding dog, won't let him out of his sight." The woman took her hat off, placing it on one of the beds, effectively claiming it as her own. Samantha consented to the babysitting with her eyes downcast and one curt nod. "Adam, right?" The redhead addressed the boy, getting his attention. "That okay with you?" He nodded as well, his face lighting up in a grin. "Well alright, then!" She looked up to Samantha and Steve, considering them for a moment. "I'm Lola, by the way. This is Diego." She extended a hand.

She was met instead with downcast eyes.

* * *

Shepard just raised her eyebrow, pulling her hand back with a sidelong glance at James.  _Slaves. Damnit._

James recovered first. "Right, well, we should let you get back to work. We'll, uh, just get settled. You can send the dog back if he gets annoying." They both nodded and herded the boy out of the room with them, Baxter following jovially.

Shepard shook her head. "I don't understand it, Diego, I just don't. Why would a human own human slaves? I mean, I get the idea of owning other species – I don't agree, but I get it. But if you're all about human supremacy, why would you purchase humans?!" She ran her hands through her hair in frustration at her inability to just bomb the place and ride off into the distance with all of the slaves in tow, finally throwing herself onto the bed with a groan.

James sighed. "I know, Lola, I know. You gonna be able to do this around them?"

It was Shepard's turn to sigh. "You know me. I get the job done. This is just a different kind of obstacle, is all." She considered for a moment. "She was cute, though, wasn't she?"

James snorted. "Yeah, I can see it's gonna be  _real_  hard for you to be here." He sat on his own bed, pulling his guitar out of the case again, ignoring her slight smile. "So you gonna join me this time, or what?"

Shepard's smile turned into a full grin. They got a whole afternoon to themselves, with no one around to complain about their loud playing and poor singing. She jumped up, and within a minute they were tuned to each other and playing an old bluegrass standard.

* * *

"Is the doggie ours now, momma?"

"No, Adam, the dog belongs to the woman he came with. But you can play with him while I work, alright? No pulling on his tail or fur, though, or it's a timeout and I send him back." He nodded, running off to play with the dog outside. She watched him with a smile on her lips. His fourth birthday would be next week. Maybe she could talk his father into letting him have a puppy. Her smile faded as she considered what she'd have to do for the man in order to make that happen. She repeated her mantra to herself:  _Adam is worth anything. He's worth anything_.

Steve chuckled, bringing Samantha out of her dark thoughts. "That dog is bigger than him. I'm amazed he isn't scared of it."

Samantha chuckled as well. "Yes, I'm sure if I let him, he'd approach those hell-beasts those trainers were hired for. And then I wouldn't have a son, so don't let him until they're under control, alright?"

Steve nodded, laughing and grabbing the apple he'd surrendered fifteen minutes earlier before heading outside to whatever task he'd been about to start at that time. Samantha reached to adjust her skirt, which had been sent askew by Adam's earlier grip, but stopped dead when she felt another pair of hands begin to help her. Once finished, the hands caressed her hips, traveling up to her waist and encircling her from behind. The familiar feel of the skin on her stomach, along with the sight of the blue hue of those hands, set Samantha at ease, settling her into the embrace as a blue face rested its chin on her shoulder. "He really is such a wonderful child, Samantha."

Samantha settled further into the embrace, humming her assent. "I just…" She sighed, turning in the embrace, hugging the asari who had come to mean so much to her. "My plan never included raising a son as a slave, Liara."

"I know, Samantha. But you have done a wonderful job with the cards you were dealt."

"Yes, well, it helps to have you, nonetheless." She kissed her, feeling more than hearing the hum Liara made into her lips. These moments were few and far between. The other slaves knew of their relationship, and with their master gone, they could be more open than normal in their affections. She pulled back before their kiss could become more heated. "And it helps that he thinks of you as his other parent, rather than that  _man_."

"Well, I love you, and I love him. If I could take the both of you away from here, I would." She nuzzled her nose, a human sign of affection she had gladly adopted, then pulled away completely. "Come. We must still work, even if we have more freedom with him gone." She absently fingered the metal collar around her neck as she went back to the kitchen. Samantha's anger simmered once again with the way Liara now took the collar that negated her biotic ability as a matter of course, playing with it the way she might a necklace.


	3. Chapter 3

"Goddamnit, you motherfucking cocksucker! Come  _here_!" The beasts truly were hell-spawn. She could only work with one at a time, and there were three, hell-bent on keeping away from her. The bastard had even had the gall to purchase a stallion, presumably so he could breed the animals, but the protective male spent his time herding the two mares, keeping them away from the humans. She was working with a lasso, trying to catch the beautiful black male and separate him from the females, to calm everyone down. If this didn't work, she was going to have to get out the more modern tools, like an electrical shock device that she knew from experience would probably just piss him off. They didn't currently have the tools at their disposal to move him if it turned out their only option was to tranquillize him.

"You need some help in there, Lola?" James was standing outside the corral, arms crossed, hat pulled low over his eyes to ward off the intense brightness of the morning sun. He stared at the way the leather chaps framed her ass in her jeans. "Or are you gonna keep up the pissing contest with the horse?" At that, Shepard's eyes widened, her nostrils flared, and she finally got the rope around the horse's neck. She just barely managed to keep hold. James immediately hopped the fence with a rope in hand, looping it around the horse's neck and aiding his "boss" in getting the animal out of the gate he'd opened at the other end of the corral from where the stallion had herded the mares. The horse put up a mighty fight, but in the end, the humans won, getting him into a smaller pen that was out of sight of the two females.

"Next time just stay ready with the rope instead of staring at my ass, Diego," Shepard gritted, releasing her rope and getting the hell away from the unpredictable animal. "I'm good, but I'm no match for a thousand-kilo ball of muscle and testosterone on my own. Asshole." James just chuckled, gathering their ropes as the horse calmed. He knew the "asshole" was aimed at the horse, and it amused him, the way she always took an animal's attitude personally. 'Course, he might, too, if he was given that look of murder the horse was currently directing at Shepard. The horse was certainly taking their efforts personally.

"You gonna try mounting it today?"

Shepard snickered at his word choice. "Nah. I think this big guy needs us to leave him the hell alone for now. Also, if I don't, I might have to shoot him." She jumped the fencing around the small corral, dusting her chaps off once she was on the other side. James once again had a hard time not staring at her ass. She looked over her shoulder to see where he'd gotten to, and just laughed when she saw him so obviously staring at her. "Hey, Diego! Why don't you join me on this side of the fence? I think maybe the stallion thinks you'd be just as good to gut as me." James looked at the stallion, whose murderous stare had fallen on him, instead, and hurried to climb the fence to the tune of Shepard's laughter.

They made their way to the barn. They had stowed the tools of their trade there, and they needed to go through what was already stored in-depth before truly starting with the animals. The only reason they'd begun by separating the animals was to give them some time to calm down before starting the process of getting them used to gear and people. When they were through, Shepard sent James to the main house to find out how to place an order for the things they needed – oats, a shit-ton more hay, and some extras of the things they already had.

Shepard grabbed her belt-knife, securing it to her waist before drawing it and spearing an apple from the crate they'd lugged out with them that morning. She made her way to the larger corral, where the mares were currently grazing on the grass growing along the edges. She approached slowly but assuredly, hoping to exude confidence. Their heads came up when she got near enough, snorting and flicking their ears, unsure if they should move away or not. Shepard cut two slivers of apple, placing the knife and apple on the ground by her feet and holding the offerings out in front of her as she closed the last meter of distance between herself and the edge of the corral. The smell of the apple was clearly intriguing, and they both reached their heads out to delicately take the treat. One, a beautiful palomino, immediately backed off, eying Shepard warily while chewing her treat. The other, a pinto with more white than brown, stayed close, exploring Shepard's hand with its lips, looking for more apple.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it," she cooed to it, retrieving her apple and knife and cutting it more of the tasty treat. She fed it pieces as she gently started patting its nose. By the time the apple was gone, it was letting her caress its whole face, cooing softly as she did so. She felt James approach her.

"It looks like she doesn't need much training, just skittish. You wanna try it," he asked, gesturing with the saddle and bridle he carried in his arms as she looked over to him. She smiled and nodded, climbing the fence as he placed the materials atop it so he could join her.

Once the horse was tacked up, Shepard climbed it from the fence, James adjusting the stirrups once she was in the saddle. "We're going to need to shoe her up before we do this again," he said. "Also, her teeth need to be looked at."

"That's what I pay you for, Diego," said Shepard. She hated those chores, not least because she simply was not built for holding a horse's weight on her own legs for such long stretches. It took her twice as long as James to do those things – though she  _could_  do them if she needed to, or if she needed to prove a point to someone.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're all ready to go. Let's get her moving." Shepard took the reins in one hand and guided the horse into a gentle walk around the corral. No problems so far. The horse understood her clicks and the pressure from the reigns, and seemed perfectly at-ease with her in the saddle. Clearly, she needed no training. Shepard picked up the pace.

James watched from the top of the fence, pulling out an apple and taking a bite. The palomino approached him while its fellow was being ridden around the corral, looking for more treats. James indulged it, taking Shepard's belt-knife and slicing slivers for the animal, getting it to let him caress its face in the same way that Shepard had with the pinto. Once she was letting him pet her without treats, he slipped a halter over her head, tightening it quickly and keeping a firm hold on the rope he'd attached ahead of time. She didn't like it while he was doing it, trying to pull away, but once it was in place, she settled and let him keep petting her. Apparently, they'd both had at least some basic training, just hadn't had any equipment on them in a while.

Shepard approached on the back of the pinto. "Made a friend, I see," she said, smiling approvingly. "And I see she's just as used to tack as this one." She indicated the animal she sat astride. "You wanna saddle her up?"

"Naw, Lola, I think that should be up to you. Let's get that saddle on her and I'll take a look at the pinto while you ride." Shepard agreed, and they got to work.

* * *

Shepard wandered into the kitchen to find the same woman who had met them at the door the day before. She hadn't yet noticed her, so Shepard took a moment to stand in the door and admire. She had dark skin and black hair, and the simple white linen skirt and sleeveless shirt showed off her arms and legs a good deal. She was well muscled, in that lean, feminine way, and her lack of shoes completed the look in a way that made Shepard want to cross the room and take the woman in her arms. When she turned and noticed Shepard staring, she could have sworn she saw the woman blush, but that may have just been because her own stomach filled with a few butterflies at being caught staring.

She stepped into the kitchen, her boot heels clicking on the tile of the floor. "We, uh… Well, I don't know how to say this without sounding rude, but we're damn hungry, and we're not really sure of the protocol." She took her hat off and ran a hand through her hair before replacing it and tugging on the bandana around her neck, a nervous habit she'd had since she was a teen.

"Oh," said the woman, recovering herself and turning to face Shepard completely. "I can make you something. What would you like?"

"Whatever's easiest for you. Just, you know, something with substance – riding horses really takes it out of you. Do you mind if I keep you company?" She reached for a chair at a table in the corner.

"I, well, I don't mind, no, it's just…"

"You don't have to be all submissive around me, you know. I understand the nature of your, uh, circumstances, but I'd rather get to know you. I promise you won't get into trouble." The woman's face continued to look uncertain. Shepard smiled. "I could always order you to be friendly…" The woman let loose a little laugh, and Shepard couldn't help but find the sound of it to be captivating. "There," she said, smiling and sitting down at the table, "was that really so hard?" She watched the woman begin to make her some food.

As she cracked some eggs, the little boy ran in. "Momma, momma, I hafta go to the bathroom!" He pulled at her skirt while doing the dance that all little kids do when they have to pee.

"Adam, what did I tell you about not telling me until you couldn't hold it any longer," the woman replied, sounding exasperated. "I have to wash my hands and turn off the stove first." As she reached to do so, Shepard popped up off the chair.

"I'll take him," she said, coming to her side and extricating the boy's hand from the woman's skirt. "C'mon, little guy. I don't know where the bathroom is, so you're gonna hafta show me, k?" He looked up at her warily, clearly wondering if he should pull his hand away, but then, apparently, his need to go overtook his need to not touch a stranger, and he was off, dragging Shepard behind him. "Be right back," she called over her shoulder, running at a stoop behind the boy.

* * *

Samantha smiled and shook her head to herself as she watched her son led the woman out the door. She went back to preparing the newcomers their meal. As she set the plates on the table, she realized that they hadn't come back yet.  _Where could they be?_

She went to the door they'd left through, and the sight made her laugh out loud: the woman was crawling on hands and knees, her son on her back like she was a horse. He was wearing her hat, and holding on to the back of her leather vest and kicking her sides with his bare feet the way you would kick the sides of a horse. Clearly, the boy had paid attention while watching them today. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, unable to keep from giggling. The woman looked up apologetically.

"Sorry. He demanded that I teach him how to ride a horse, but I told him he wasn't big enough. I offered him this as consolation, and, well, it took a lot longer for us to get back." She reached a hand back to support his butt as she stood up on her knees, swiftly getting to her feet and letting him slide down her back, setting him gently on his feet. Samantha was still smiling, still covering her mouth with her hands as she looked up into the woman's face. Her eyes really were remarkable. The look on the woman's face as she looked down at Samantha made her knees weak, however, and Samantha hurriedly took a step back and turned around. The woman had stepped toward her, giving her a look she usually only saw on Liara's face as a hand tentatively reached toward her, and she just couldn't take it. It was all too much, too confusing. The woman was incredibly attractive, but she belonged to someone else, her body to one person, her heart to another.

"Your food is ready," she said instead. She walked into the kitchen to begin cleaning, but stopped a moment to look at the woman as she took a seat, a sheepish look on her face. "Uh, thank you. For taking care of my son. It can be hard to be there for everything he needs."

The woman smiled. "No problem. What did you say your name was, again?"

Samantha ducked her head a little as she resumed cleaning. "It's Samantha. I'm sorry about that. Usually, when a visitor comes, we're not to talk to them. It was rude, but I hope you understand that we weren't sure what to do about you yet, as you're not technically a visitor." She flicked her eyes up and saw the woman get up from her chair and lean on the island-counter across from Samantha.

She extended a hand. "Well, Samantha, I'm Lola. And I do understand. But I don't like the practice of slavery, myself, and I'd rather we get along as coworkers than anything else. I'll be discreet around the boss, but can we be friends?"

Samantha considered her hand a moment before taking it. "Yes, yes, I believe we can be friends, Lola. And thank you – for the discretion. And the offer of friendship." Shepard winked and returned to her meal.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is what earns this fic it's non-con warning. It's not hugely explicit, but this is your trigger warning, just in case. If you wanna skip it, it's in the last section of this chapter.

"So you're from Horizon?" Shepard sat with Adam bouncing on one knee, in the slaves' quarters. It was dark out, neither had work to complete, and, for the moment, it was just the three of them becoming acquainted in the room.

"Yes, I was raised there. But I went to University on Earth, at Oxford, and both my parents were from London – hence the accent."

"I was curious," Shepard admitted, a slight blush dancing across her cheeks.

"Most people who speak English are – I don't mind. It doesn't come through as much when I'm speaking Galactic, though." She grew silent, watching as Shepard stopped bouncing her son, watching as he leaned back against her, his eyes growing heavy, finally settling into a steady breathing pattern. "I'm so impressed with how good you are with him," she murmured.

Shepard looked down into his little, sleeping face, smiling. "I love kids. No one's minds are like theirs." Samantha could only agree. Shepard look up at Samantha, a curious look on her face. "Is he… Is his father…?"

She didn't need to hear the rest of the question. She just nodded, hanging her head a little in shame. "I never took birth control – why do that when you aren't interested in men?" Shepard's interest was piqued at this bit of information. "I stopped menstruating after only a couple of months here, and it became apparent that I was pregnant not long after. I've been here for almost five years, and I've been a mother for most of it. I…"

"Hey, you don't need to keep going. I'm sorry I brought it up."

"No, it's nice to have someone to talk to about it. I just need to watch what I say." She looked around a moment, then leaned forward, as if to kiss her son, and whispered, "The only place that's not monitored on this estate is the barn." She leaned back, staring into Shepard's face intently. Shepard nodded, just once, but it was enough so that Samantha knew she got the message, and the implicit invitation to talk more in the unmonitored area.

After a few moments of silence, Shepard spoke up again. "I grew up on a colony, too. My parents were farmers, but my uncle raised horses. I ended up spending most of my time with him." She shifted the boy in her arms, hoisting him so their chests faced, his head resting on her shoulder, her arms wrapped around him.

"So that's where you learned it all, then?"

"Yeah. I started helping him break the young ones, and started working for the richer people in the area who would buy horses for something pretty to have. Usually, you have to teach the owners a lot more than you have to teach the animals. I have a feeling it's gonna be the same here…" She was swaying gently now, rocking the boy, unconsciously cooing softly to him as he slept. It melted Samantha's heart.

"So, what did you do after you graduated?"

Samantha's attention refocused on Shepard's face. "Oh, well, the Alliance sent me to University because of my aptitude scores, so I spent my required service years working in Research and Development. Then I stayed – I liked the challenge. The only reason I'm here is because Horizon was raided while I was unlucky enough to be visiting my parents at home. Had they come to visit me on Earth instead… well, I imagine life would be very different right now…" She reached a hand out to caress her son's face. "It's not all bad, though."

Shepard remembered that raid. A little more than five years before, the biggest colony on the planet had been hit. People usually chose a colony life to get away from the Alliance, but that freedom's price was often that the colony had very little protection. A small militia or police force was usually standard in any colony, but those forces were nothing when up against a full raiding party of pirates or slavers. A similar raid was how she ended up in the Alliance instead of working her parents' farmlands, in fact. They rebuilt the colony – Mindoir – but it never was the same, at least for her. Instead of University or farming, she enlisted in the navy. They gave a decent education, though nothing as specialized as what Samantha had probably received, and she'd found she had a knack for getting in and out of a place undetected. She was a marine, yes, but was often given special assignments. She'd worked her way up quickly, now with a whole ship under her command (a ship she had stolen and given to the Alliance, even). But she often wondered what could have been.

Her reverie was broken by the appearance of an asari, dressed identically to Samantha. Liara walked gracefully into the room, all blue skin and white linen. She stopped when she realized who was in the room, however. Shepard noticed her first, becoming rigid on the edge of the bed, a million thoughts running through her head. Samantha noted where Shepard's gaze had fallen and turned to see her lover frozen just inside of the doorway.

"Liara," she said, a warm look settling into her features. "Come, meet my new friend, Lola."

* * *

_Ash,_

_Well, I'm here. We started the job, but there isn't as much to it as I'd thought there would be. The horses are trained; we just need to train the people who will be riding them. Don't know when we'll be leaving yet, but I can see it on the horizon – gonna be needing a new job a whole lot sooner than I thought. And I've only been here a few days. Diego's enjoying himself, blissfully ignorant of the fact that this job isn't gonna last like he thought it would. Why let him know now, so he can mope around until we're done? Don't like to ruin his good mood.  
_

_Anyway, I hope everything's good out there. I'll make sure to visit first thing after this job is truly over._

_Lola_

* * *

The target had been acquired, the entire reason for the mission. Doctor Liara T'Soni, Prothean expert, and missing for the last ten years, ever since a Batarian slaver ring raided her dig site: she was the "property" that needed liberating. The human now in possession of her had been stupid enough to only purchase one asari, with very distinctive facial tattoos, and then show her off to his business partners. Word had gotten around over the last few years, and it had come to someone's attention that a certain human on a certain world owned an asari with eyebrows and freckles. Now Shepard was here to retrieve her.

The letter she just typed out made it clear that she'd made contact with the target, but that she didn't have an exit strategy just yet.

Shepard had been taken immediately. The holos of the woman hadn't done her justice, not really. She could have fallen into those beautiful blue eyes and been perfectly content to stay there. She'd introduced herself, just her first name, and come to sit next to Samantha. Shepard didn't even fully recall what they'd spoken of, so taken was she. And it wasn't all directed at the asari, either. She'd been attracted to Samantha from the moment she'd laid eyes on her, as well. And it had only deepened as she'd gotten to know the woman a little, played with her son, watched her make meals and clean the kitchen. Seeing the two women sit together, talking about Adam and each other, made it clear to Shepard that they were involved in some way. She couldn't imagine how complicated that might be, given that they were probably both regularly summoned to their owner's bed. The thought made her seethe.

As she tapped the command to send the message, she made a silent promise to get all three of them out. It might make it more difficult, but she would do it, somehow.

* * *

"If you want, I can keep him out of your hair."

Samantha was struggling with Adam tugging on her skirt. He was bored, but Samantha had work that needed to be done. The boy's father would be returning that day, and the house must be immaculate for his arrival.  _As must I_ , she thought acidly to herself.

"Really, I can watch him, tire him out some. I really don't mind – not much to do today, anyway, with the boss coming back. I'll make sure to get him back inside by the time the shuttle arrives." And without waiting for Samantha to answer, Lola disentangled Adam's hand just like she had that first time and scooped the boy up, carrying him outside like a sack of potatoes, squealing and giggling the entire way. Samantha's heartbeat had quickened at the woman's nearness, and she couldn't help but watch her, clad in leather chaps as she was, disappear through the door.

Preparing the house took longer than usual. She was distracted, both by Lola, and by the impending arrival of her  _master_. She could never think that term without it dripping venom. Liara could sense her distraction, of course; she was herself dreading the return of the man who had purchased her four years before. He would invariably ignore them, unless something was out of place, and then require both of their presence in his bedroom once the sun had set. At least they had had the opportunity to be with just each other the night before. It was small consolation at the moment, but they both would take what comfort they could with something so demoralizing awaiting them at the end of their day.

Liara hadn't said anything, but she had sensed Samantha's growing attraction to Lola through the Joining. It was the only unique gift of hers that the collar did not block, though Liara kept this information hidden, sharing the gift only with Samantha. They'd Joined the night before while lying naked, one atop the other, in the barn, a blanket spread to keep the hay from going where hay should really never go. She sensed Samantha's preoccupation with the other woman, but she was not jealous – jealousy was not an emotion one lived with long in her current situation. Besides, she herself found the woman to be intriguing, having run into her several times since their initial introduction. They never talked for very long, but she always felt like the woman would treat any partner well, and the way she spoke to her made her feel, well, like she was being flirted with – very politely.

She found her green eyes to be particularly captivating. The paleness of her skin, as well, so very different from Samantha's, made her wish to touch the woman. Her easy, joking demeanor, her clear adoration for Adam, the thoughtfulness behind her eyes – all made Liara wish to know the woman better. So she was not jealous. She would like to discuss it, of course, Samantha's attraction, as well as her own. She was not averse to sharing the woman, and she knew both their hearts were big enough to cherish more than one person at a time. Monogamy was a popular enough idea throughout the intergalactic community, but the concept of polyamory was also relatively common, especially among asari maidens. Of course, going that far was going much too far. She was a slave, unable to freely engage in sexual or romantic activities. And so far all she felt was an attraction – what was she doing thinking about deeper emotions? Surely one does not build these deeper emotions based on insubstantial conversation and one-sided flirting?

The two slaves finished cleaning the house just in time for the arrival of the shuttle. Lola came running in carrying a very dusty little boy asleep in her arms, Diego and Baxter following them. She apologized profusely before handing him off. Samantha put him in bed, figuring that would be better than dealing with a tired, cranky little boy, and quickly changed into clothing that had not had all the dust that was clinging to her son transferred to it. When she returned, she found everyone already lined up outside. She cursed silently and joined them, adding herself to the line of downcast slaves just as the shuttle landed. The owner of the estate stepped out, looked over the line of slaves once, then stepped past them to the line of his actual employees.

* * *

The man had white skin and dark brown hair that was beginning to show gray. He was otherwise rather nondescript, except that he was impeccably precise in the way he was dressed and groomed. His beard and hair were perfectly trimmed and styled, not one hair out of place. It made Shepard want to puke.

She stood next to James, Baxter sitting politely at her feet, with the other employees of the estate. She hadn't had much of a chance to meet anyone except Samantha, Liara, and Steve, and she hadn't spent any time talking with the paid employees at all. She was learning how few people managed the estate, though – just the three slaves, and maybe twenty staff, mostly security. The security mainly guarded a building way off in the distance, where she suspected the man did the illegal activities she knew he was apart of, and one was always at the house, making sure things were in order. Their presence kept the three slaves in line. The lack of numbers here would work to her advantage. She wasn't sure how, yet, but she was sure that it would be part of her strategy.

The man approached her and James and examined them. Shepard withdrew her hat a little, tipping it to him and making the slightest of bows, more of a head-nod, really. "Good afternoon, sir. I'm Lola, the trainer you hired for those beautiful horses." She held out a hand to shake and gestured over her shoulder at the corral with the other. The horses walked around it, grazing here and there, the stallion off in his own area, well away from the mares.

The man just eyed her, appraising her like a piece of property, not taking her hand. She reluctantly lowered it, her eyes hardening. _Fine, you wanna play like that? I'm gonna take your most valued prize away from you, and you won't know what hit you_. He walked past them and into the house, not saying a word. The three slaves rushed forward to retrieve his things, the security detail dispersing to their previous tasks. Shepard retired to the guest wing, where she and James shared their room. She kicked off her boots and stretched before throwing herself on the bed.

"So," said James, copying her moves. "That's Henry Lawson, huh?"

Shepard sighed. "Yep, that's him."

Neither of them needed to say aloud what that meant.

* * *

_Two Months Ago…_

Miranda Lawson tried desperately not to fidget. She didn't like answering so many questions about her past, but this was the only way she could save her sister and be free to ensure her safety. Cerberus had done her very little good, always holding the girl's safety over her head to ensure her cooperation, as their experiments had gotten more and more grotesque. When she'd recognized Shepard on one of her missions, infiltrating her ship to get to Cerberus' most prized test subject, she'd taken the opportunity to work with her instead of reporting her, and in the end, they'd stolen the most sophisticated ship built by human hands  _and_  Cerberus' precious biotic test subject. In addition, Miranda was free of Cerberus, and the ship would be making a pit stop on the way home to retrieve Oriana and her family before Cerberus could retaliate. She'd turned herself into the Alliance when they got back to Earth, and the questioning had not stopped since. Oriana was safe, though, and if Miranda was going to now work for the Alliance, then they needed to know as much about her involvement with Cerberus as they could. She understood, but she still didn't like it.

She looked up as the investigators in front of her stopped their conversation, looking to the door into the interrogation room. Commander Shepard had walked through it, dressed like any other marine, in fatigues and a short-sleeved navy blue shirt, her chin-length red hair down and tucked behind her ears, a data pad in her hand. She dismissed the investigators, leaving Miranda alone in the room with her.

"Alright, Miranda, so here's the deal I've worked out. Your father is in possession of something that I need to retrieve. The deal is, you help me infiltrate, get me in and out with the target, and you walk. Do a good enough job, and when you enlist, I'll request that you serve with me, instead of getting stuck in some lab." She stopped talking for a moment and leaned against the table in front of Miranda, a smirk on her face.

"What kind of information do you need?" She looked up into Shepard's face, recognizing the lopsided grin there. She trusted the woman, in a way she had never been able to trust a person ever in her life, and would gladly give her all the information on her father that she needed. The bastard could die for all she cared.

"I need everything. I need to know how often the man takes a shit. I need to know what kind of depraved things he does to his slaves in bed. I need to how to disrupt his security, how many employees he keeps, who he does business with. I need to know so much about him that I could drive him crazy if I wanted to. Can you do that for me?"

Miranda smiled with not one hint of mirth. "Yes, Commander, I believe I can do that for you."

* * *

"Love, we need to talk," said Liara. She came up behind Samantha, wrapping her arms around her and rocking her as they stood in the middle of the room they shared with Steve, mysteriously absent at the moment. Adam lay asleep in his mother's bed.

"I asked him if Adam could have a puppy for his birthday," said Samantha, leaning back into the asari, reveling in the comfort after her ordeal. Her ordeal, which had become customary, if not relished. She tried hard not to think about it, about his body on top of hers, her clothing pushed aside to provide access to only those parts of her that were strictly necessary, about him shuddering to a finish just as her body began to react positively. She always felt absolutely filthy when he was done with her, gratefully slipping out of his bed as he fell asleep and going to wash herself as thoroughly as possible after ensuring another pregnancy would not take. He didn't have any depraved ideas, at least, but she'd never been interested in men in the first place. Having to go to Henry Lawson's bed was utterly insulting.

"What did he say," Liara asked, letting her change the subject for now.

Samantha laughed a short, dark laugh. "He ignored me and shoved me onto the bed," she replied. She remembered his hands roughly fondling her, pushing her face into the sheets, lifting up her hips several centimeters, just enough to lift her skirt. She remembered the feeling of lubricant being spread on her before he roughly pushed inside of her, huffing away behind her, making no other sounds. Her body traitorously responding to the physical sensations, adding its own lubricant, blood rushing to engorge her flesh just as he pumped away to his finish. The thought of allowing herself to become pregnant again had crossed her mind, accompanied by the thought that it would at least keep him off of her for nine months or so. That's what had happened with her pregnancy with Adam, anyway – he did not wish to bed a pregnant or breastfeeding woman. But he had Liara now, and likely wouldn't leave her alone if Samantha became pregnant again, and she simply could not do that to her lover.

Liara tightened her embrace. They had both gone to his bedroom door, but only Samantha had been summoned. Liara had gone back to the slaves' bedroom to make sure Adam was asleep, and to wait for Samantha's return. She knew how much Samantha detested this part of the night. It wasn't every night, but it was always like this, for both of them – they were pieces of meat, to be used. She wished she knew how to break out of the collar, not for the first time. She could destroy him so quickly, and there would be nothing left which could be identified, not after everything he had done to them. She promised herself that one day she would, and she would get Samantha and Adam out of there.

"What did you want to talk about?" Samantha turned in her embrace, leaning back enough to look into Liara's face.

"Oh, it can wait," she said, looking away. Now really wasn't the time to discuss their mutual attraction to someone else.

"On the contrary," Samantha replied, a smile quirking her lips as she reached up to turn Liara's face back toward her own. "I'd rather like something else to think about."

"I, well… Last night, during the Joining," Liara began, relishing the smile coaxed out of Samantha at the reminder. "During the Joining, I noticed something, and I thought we should talk about it."

"What did you notice?"

"Y-You're attracted to the new woman, to Lola," she got out, finally. She may have far more experience now than she'd ever had before, but talking about anything related to sex aloud had always been an awkward thing for her. Truly, it was amazing she had ever kissed Samantha in the first place. Samantha immediately blushed and looked away, giving one tiny nod. "I am, too, Samantha." This snapped Samantha's head to face hers again.

Samantha laughed quietly. "Well, imagine that. We both have a crush on the same woman." Her mirth subsided, a look of concern in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Liara. I was never going to do anything about it, I just think she's attractive…"

"You mistake me, Samantha," said Liara, kissing her cheek and pulling her back into a hug. "I think that, if the opportunity presents itself, you  _should_  act on it. You get so little opportunity for pleasure," she said, pulling back again. "I would hate to see you throw an opportunity away because of me. Besides, it's not like the woman will be here forever – it would be a fling, a distraction. And I know your heart – it is big enough to care for more than just me."

Samantha considered her for a moment. She knew from their melds that her cultural viewpoint on such things was different from most humans'. It was part of why asari maidens had a (false) reputation for being promiscuous – there was not the cultural pressure to settle down, or to limit oneself to one partner. Monogamy was common once an asari decided to become a mother, though that was only a relatively recent thing in their history, probably brought on by the push away from mating with other asari. She finally spoke. "Yours is big enough, as well. Are you encouraging what I think you are?"

Liara shrugged, a decidedly human gesture. "Why not? We should be very careful, but as I said, there is so little opportunity for pleasure, for fun, in our current situation. And I know you love me. I will not be jealous if you were to pursue her. And I do not think you would jealous if I acted on her clear interest, either."

"I think you're right," Samantha said. She was surprised to realize that she was right – if Lola wanted Liara more than her, she would not be jealous. She knew Liara loved her, and that she wanted her. And the idea of having fun, as opposed to the angst-filled romance that was her relationship with Liara, was appealing. But that's not what she wanted right at the moment – she needed comfort. "For tonight, though, be with me here?" Liara nodded, smiling, her eyes swirling to black, her mind reaching out to soothe the hurt caused by the father to the woman's child.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Liara walked out to the corral, cold drinks on a tray, along with a meal, for the hungry, tired, sweaty humans working with the horses. It was midday, and she had run out of things to do for the moment. She was hoping to get the woman alone to talk for a little while. She had something to ask her.

Shepard sat smoking something under a tree near the corral with James, who was busy oiling a saddle. The mares were clustered on that side of their corral, both trying to get into the small amount of shade available in the midday sun. The stallion was in the barn, having no shade available in his small corral. Her head came up as Liara approached, a genuine smile crossing her features.

"Hey there, Liara!" She made to get up, but seemed to be having a little trouble with her balance. Liara's eyebrows bunched together, a look of concern evident on her face.

"Are you alright," she asked, moving to kneel beside Shepard.

Shepard waved her off. "I'm fine, I'm fine, just haven't been up since I started smoking. It hit me all of a sudden when I moved." She sprang up, no more problems with her balance evident. "See?" James giggled, taking a pull from the joint they'd been sharing.

Liara eyed them suspiciously. "I take it that's not tobacco you're smoking?"

Shepard laughed and shook her head. "No. It's weed. And if Diego keeps hogging it, he's gonna be high as a kite  _really_  soon." She looked from James to Liara. "What can we help you with?"

Liara held out the tray. "I thought you might like lunch. It's so hot out today, and I saw you taking shelter under the tree, so I thought I would bring it to you." She looked down momentarily. "I hope you don't mind." Shepard's answer was to take the tray greedily – her munchies were starting to hit. It was so abrupt, Liara looked up in surprise.

"Thanks, Liara! Diego, here, have some. It's delicious!" She shoved the tray at him, spilling a little of the lemonade before she took her own glass. "Walk with me," she said to Liara, taking a slow step in the direction of the barn. Liara assented, falling in step next to her. They walked in amiable silence for a minute or so as Shepard finished her sandwich, chasing it down with a good portion of her drink. She could feel herself sobering up just a little, for which she was thankful – she really shouldn't smoke so much on an empty stomach. It hit her really hard, all of a sudden, when she did.

Liara broke the silence first. "I admit I had an ulterior motive for bringing your lunch to you out here," she said, not looking up from the ground.

"Oh?"

"Today is Adam's birthday, and he is in a foul mood. His mother is… indisposed, but all he says he wants is her. I was wondering if you could help me make it special for him?" She looked up at the last, a truly pleading look in her eyes. Shepard was momentarily mesmerized by those blue eyes, only breaking contact with them when her boot caught on a rock on the ground, causing her to stumble.

"What's Samantha up to that she can't spare a little time with him," she asked. She knew the woman had a lot of work, but if Liara found the time to be out here talking to her, surely Samantha could find an hour for her son's birthday?

"She is… entertaining the boy's father, and a business associate."

"Oh."

"She will not be in any shape to provide the kind of distraction for the boy that he needs. He is with Steve right now, but Steve has work to do that I cannot. Watching him is my primary responsibility today, but I find that I fall short of what is needed while on my own."

"Does he do that a lot? Use you guys as 'entertainment' for his guests?" She'd stopped walking. When Liara didn't look up, she stepped very close, tilting Liara's chin up with two fingers. The look in Liara's eyes answered her question.

She seethed. How the fuck could anyone be that cruel? She just didn't understand it. It made her want to blast a hole in his face. She wanted to make it all better for these people, who'd had the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Unconsciously, she let go of Liara's chin, wrapped her arms around the asari's shoulders, and engulfed her in a mighty hug.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured. Liara stiffened at first, but very quickly relaxed into the embrace, feeling comforted by the presence of the woman, so strong, so assured in her belief that what was happening to them was  _wrong_. Her arms wrapped around Shepard's waist, hugging her back. She rested her head on the taller woman's shoulder and let herself be rocked lightly from side to side. Her whole being was momentarily lost in the warm feel of the sturdy body, the heat emanating from her, the smell of the herbs she'd been smoking, as well as sweat, dirt, and work. She also smelled very strongly of the leather she wore. She wanted desperately to kiss her, but held back.

Finally, Liara made to move away, and Shepard let her. She took Shepard's hand in hers and said, "Thank you, Lola. You have been a true friend to both of us. But we cannot do anything for Samantha at the moment, except to distract her son."

"Right," said Shepard, turning to continue their walk. Liara didn't let go of her hand, and neither did Shepard. They entered the barn hand-in-hand, getting lost in scheming for Adam's birthday.

* * *

"I hear someone in this room is turning four years old today," boomed James, coming to fetch the boy for his surprise. "Who could it be?"

Adam jumped up from where he'd been sulking next to Steve. "I'm turning four today," he said timidly, holding one hand in the other in front of himself.

"Well, then," said James, kneeling down in front of him. "That means I have a surprise for you. Come on, I'll take you to it." He held his hands out to the boy, who regarded him for only a moment before he acquiesced. James took him and hoisted him onto his shoulders, holding him by his ankles while they boy held on to James' face with each hand.

Steve came up with a smile on his face. "Liara got you guys involved, didn't she?" James nodded, beaming. "Well, I'm glad. He needs a good birthday. He's getting old enough now to remember them for the rest of his life." And he moved very close to James, resting one hand on his chest and kissing him on the cheek. He chuckled as he moved away, seeing the shocked expression on James' face. It quickly turned into a grin, and Steve left the room to complete his work with a smirk on his face. He knew when he'd lured a man in, and it looked like their late-night conversations and card playing had paid off. James may like to stare at Shepard's ass, but he had also been caught hook, line, and sinker by the quiet man's tender ways.

"Are you and Uncle Steve like Mommy and Liara," the boy asked, jolting James from his staring at the man's ass as he walked away.

"Huh? How are your mom and Liara?" He started walking now, ducking as he exited the house.

"They love each other," he said simply.

"Oh. Well, I dunno. But I think I like him. Is that okay?" He looked up, seeing the boy looking toward the horses.

"Yeah. He's sad. I think he's lonely. He needs someone to love him. Someone besides me," he said matter-of-factly. James smiled. Kids were the best.

* * *

Liara stood next to Shepard, watching as James approached them with Adam on his shoulders. They were laughing about something. Shepard stood next to the pinto mare, holding the reins of the palomino, as well. The calming of the stallion was coming along, but as both of these horses were entering their estrous period for the season, she was disinclined to trust the large animal near the females. When it started to get colder, and the mares were no longer in danger of going into heat, they might be able to start riding together. Of course, Shepard wasn't actually planning to be around that long, but she was the only one privy to that information.

"Hey, Adam," she called as they got close, James setting the boy down on the ground. "So, we're gonna take you out on the horses to your surprise. Who do you wanna ride with, me or Diego?" He was now standing with Liara, James hoisting himself up onto the palomino. He regarded them both for a moment.

"Diego," he said simply, walking over to him. Shepard smiled, handing James the reins of her horse. She stooped down to grab the boy, boosting him up to James. He was soon seated in between James' hands, being instructed to hold tight to the saddle horn.

"Well, my dear," said Shepard, feeling slightly playful. "Shall we?" She held out a hand to Liara.

"You want me to come along," she asked, looking startled. Shepard nodded. "But, I don't know how to ride…"

"Will you get in trouble if you leave the main house with him," asked Shepard, still holding her hand out.

"No," Liara said uncertainly, eyeing Shepard's hand and the horse. "His father knows I am watching him while his mother is busy…"

"Good. You can ride with me. Put your foot here, and I'll help you up." She indicated a stirrup.

"But, I am wearing a skirt. I cannot…  _straddle_  anything…"

"I've got that covered, too," said Shepard. "Just let me get you up there, and we'll take care of it." Liara eyed her some more. "I promise I won't hurt you," she said, a lopsided grin on her face. Liara didn't lose her skeptical look, but she did place her bare foot in the stirrup. Shepard's hands went to her hips, and in one fluid movement, Liara sat in the saddle, removing her foot from the stirrup and moving back as far as she could at Shepard's instruction. She covered herself as best she could, feeling quite exposed with her legs splayed in the short skirt. James, at least, was doing an admirable job of not looking, focusing on walking the horse around, letting Adam get used to how it felt.

Suddenly, Shepard hoisted herself in front of Liara. "Okay. So, that covers you, right?" Liara confirmed that she was no longer exposed. "Alright. Just put your hands on my hips to hold on, and we're ready to go." Liara's hands settled hesitantly on her hips, and Shepard urged to horse to a walk. The hands immediately tightened, causing Shepard to smirk. As she kicked the horse into a trot, she felt Liara slip her hands all the way around her waist, hugging to her tightly. She hoped that when James saw her face, he would think it was the warmth of the day that caused it to be flushed, and not the feeling of the woman's warm breasts pressed into her back.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a lone tree in the middle of a wide, open plain. They could still see the buildings in the distance, and the iron fence around the property was visible, much closer to them than the buildings. Shepard dismounted, helping Liara down before taking Adam from James and staked the horses out to graze. She came back to the tree with the bundles and instruments they'd tied to the saddles earlier.

"Okay, Adam," she said, taking something from out of one of the bundles. "Have you ever flown a kite?"

* * *

Liara watched as Adam whooped in joy and excitement. Shepard and James had taught him how to fly the kite they'd made for him while Liara prepared their meal. They now saw a few meters away, watching over him and playing what they called "hillbilly music." She smiled to see the boy so happy. She'd come to think of him as her son, too (her people would find that to be so strange, her having a son), and seeing him having so much fun made her heart melt. She tried very hard not to think about what might be happening to Samantha right now. She hoped it was only serving food and drinks, but she wasn't stupid. The man had probably given his business associate free reign over her for the remainder of the day and night. It had happened to both of them on plenty of occasions.

Adam whooped again, effectively pulling Liara from her dark thoughts, and she smiled again, genuinely glad that she was able to make this happen. She was seated on a blanket, and had taken it upon herself to set out the meal while the humans played their music and Adam flew his new kite. Then she simply sat watching, enjoying the warm breeze and her idleness.

Her gaze fell on Lola, lying on her back while playing her small stringed instrument. She had enjoyed the way the woman felt while they were astride the animal. She had also enjoyed their embrace earlier, had found it to be so comforting, to just be held by someone who requires nothing of her. Her relationship with Samantha was one of love, but it was also one of need, and that embrace made her realize just how much she needed that she was not getting. Neither of them were getting all that they needed from the other – it was really impossible in their current situation. And she didn't see her situation changing anytime soon. She wanted more of that comforting embrace.

"Adam, come eat your lunch," she called after a good few minutes. He looked over, a pout on his face. Shepard just laughed got up, pushing him toward her and pulling the kite in for them to use later. James joined them on the blanket, complimenting her cooking around a full bite of food once he'd taken it. Shepard smacked him in the arm, and Liara smirked at his open mouthed "Hey" in response. They were like siblings, the way they interacted.

After lunch, James took Adam riding again at the boy's request, leaving Liara alone with the other human as she cleaned up from their meal.

"How do you do it?"

Liara looked up from her task, peering at the woman. "What do you mean?"

Shepard scrubbed a hand through her hair – her hat was discarded for the moment with her mandolin. "How do you live this life? How do you find any joy in it?"

Liara returned to her task. "I have no choice, Lola. I exist. I find joy in the boy and his mother. The rest of my life is simply something to be gotten through until I can be with them."

Shepard sighed. "I just…" Liara looked up at her again. "I wish I could take it all away." She looked utterly defeated. Liara was glad that they were out in the open, where what they said could not be overheard by anyone. She found Shepard had caught her hand, stilling her activity. "What if I could?" She was whispering now. She looked down at Liara's hand, then back up to her face, staring at her so earnestly with those captivating green eyes. "What if I could get you out of here?"

"I- I don't see how that would be possible, Lola," stammered Liara, trying to look away, but unable to do so. She found that the distance between them was closing.

"Liara," Shepard said, taking a step, closing the remaining distance between them. "Why do I want you so badly?" Liara had no answer. Her hand was slipping around Shepard's neck. She wanted this. She wanted the comfort, and the pleasure – to  _enjoy_  herself, with no strings attached.

She pressed her lips to Shepard's, feeling the woman's strong arms encircle her waist.

* * *

Shepard pulled away after only a moment, but she didn't remove her arms. She looked down at the asari uncertainly. "I thought… You and Samantha…"

Liara just looked up into her eyes with a gaze that she was sure could melt the hardest steel. "We are… not exclusive," she said, not breaking the eye contact. "We have each other's hearts, but there is so much that we cannot give each other. Not here, not like this." Shepard regarded her for a moment, looking down into those pools of blue.

She made a decision. "I know who you are, Dr. T'Soni," she said. "I know a whole lot about you." She kept her close, speaking in a whisper. "Most importantly, I know that the collar you wear doesn't block your ability to meld."

Liara's expression clearly showed her shock. She probably wanted to ask so many questions, but only one came out. "How do you know about the meld?" Her voice was even quieter than Shepard's

Shepard smiled wryly. "I've run into the technology before. That person wasn't asari, but an asari could meld with her even with the collar on. I figure it works both ways." She waited a beat. "Meld with me, Liara. I can explain it better that way. You'll get all your answers, so quickly."

Liara regarded her, so close. She didn't stiffen, but she also didn't relax. Her arms had retracted, resting with her hands on Shepard's chest. She stayed that way for several moments before her body language changed, relaxed, while her eyes swirled to obsidian.

Shepard's world turned. She'd never actually melded with an asari. She was not prepared for the probing presence in her mind, seeking out the information she thought she'd been ready to give. She was not ready, however, and in the span of seconds, Liara had witnessed the highlights of her entire history – growing up on Mindoir, the Batarian raid, her two years of foster care before enlisting in the military. She relived her one-woman show during the Skylian Blitz, ending with her shooting Elanos Haliat in his fucking face as the Alliance reinforcements informed her they were landing. She relived the capture of Cerberus' most prized vessel, which led to the mission briefing with Miranda for this particular trip. When an image was brought forward of her speaking in person to Matriarch Benezia T'Soni, she clung to it with all her might, willing Liara to see it in its entirety. The highlights of that one weren't going to be good enough.

_"My daughter has been found. I have been told that you are the best, and I need you to retrieve her."_

_"I work for the Alliance. I'm not for hire, as much as I feel for you. You're in with Councilor Tevos – wouldn't a Spectre be a better choice?"_

_"You will find that Tevos has made the necessary arrangements for_ _you_ _to go in and get her. You were told today that you are a Spectre candidate. A human must be the one to infiltrate, and there are no humans in their service as of yet. The first Human Spectre, Commander – the successful completion of this mission would make that_ _you_ _."_

_Shepard regarded the datapad she'd been handed. All the details were there. This mission, to extract Dr. Liara T'Soni, Prothean expert, and daughter to the powerful matriarch, would decide her induction into the organization that was the right hand of the Council. It would also vastly strengthen the Alliance's relationship with the Asari. Add to that the fact that Dr. T'Soni could help uncover the mysteries to the artifacts recently found in the Sol System, and she was one important person to rescue. She also could not abide slavery. She accepted the assignment from her superiors immediately._

As quickly as Liara had inserted herself in Shepard's mind, she felt the alien presence pull away. Had Shepard not still been holding the woman, she was sure she would have fallen.

"Whoa, whoa," she said, firming her grip on the asari, keeping her upright. "It's okay, I've got you."

Liara's eyes were closed. When she opened them, they were swimming in tears. "You're here to get me out of here," she asked, looking up into her eyes, pleading for an affirmative answer. Shepard could only nod, so taken by Liara's eyes was she. She found herself pulled into a bruising kiss, their lips crushing together, a blue tongue pushing into her mouth. She'd never been kissed like this, not really – she'd never been able to  _feel_  a person's relief, their gratitude, in a single kiss. When Liara pulled away, Shepard had the happiest of surprised grins on her face. "I- Jane," Liara whispered. Shepard's eyes widened in alarm at the use of her name. "I just had to say it once."

Shepard's expression softened. "I'm gonna get you out of here, Liara. You, and the others. I'm working on a plan. I took a big risk, though, letting you know what's going on, but I had to have you trust me. You can't let on until it's time to move, okay? Can't tell Sam, can't tell Steve – everything has to be as it's been, alright?" Liara nodded, blinking the tears away, snaking her arms around Shepard's neck once again and kissing her for all she was worth. Shepard didn't stop the kiss this time.

* * *

Shepard stalked her prey. She was crouched low, hiding behind a bale of hay, hat abandoned with James while she searched for her quarry. She spotted him, across the way and pinning down a hostage, who made shrieking noises every so often. She backed off, hoping he hadn't seen her. Suddenly, she took a running leap over the bale of hay, and in two long strides, she was atop her prize, pinning him.

"It's bath time, you son of a bitch," she grunted, wrestling the giant dog to the ground. He barked at her. "That's what you get for rolling in horse shit." She got him off of Adam and on his side on the ground, whining. "Shit head," she added for good measure.

Adam's birthday had been a week ago, and life had mostly returned to normal. She and Liara had not had any more moments to themselves, but she was sure Liara had told Samantha about all the kissing they'd done. It wasn't anything she could put her finger on – the woman just seemed like she  _knew_  something during their chats. They were getting to know each other better. Shepard truly enjoyed the woman's company, and she absolutely adored her little boy. Though currently, she only saw him as an accomplice.

The boy was also covered in shit. As James pointed out, it looked like the two of them had gone rolling together, and both of them looked just as guilty as the other. Shepard sighed, rolling her eyes, and heaved the nearly forty-five-kilo dog into her arms, gesturing James to grab Adam.

They entered the house in a processional of two, carrying their prizes in their arms. Samantha already had a bath drawn for the dog, at Shepard's request, and it was into this that he was plopped, whining at the indecency of it all. She took the boy from James and stripped him quickly, plopping him right next to Baxter, who was currently trying to make himself as small as possible, an impossible feat, to be sure. The dog was a mix of an English sheepdog, an Irish wolfhound, and German shepherd – he  _might_  have been small as a puppy. Maybe.

Shepard regarded the two, then herself. She now had the horseshit that had been on the dog all over her jeans and shirt. She stripped down to her underwear, completely uncaring as to James' presence in the room. She did notice Samantha staring, however, and she silently hummed to herself in satisfaction, conveniently ignoring the fact that it had taken an animal's excrement to make it happen so openly. She washed Adam quickly, handing the boy to his mother, who was waiting with a towel, then moved on to the dog. It took her fifteen full minutes just to get him completely soaked and soaped up, another ten to rinse all the suds from his fur. By the time she was done, getting covered in the spray from him shaking himself down, Samantha was back in the room, retrieving the dirty clothing that had been discarded.

James had left, going back to the shoeing job he'd been up to before Baxter decided to take a shit-bath. Baxter trotted out the door and outside to join him. It was now just Shepard and Samantha in the room, and Shepard was almost naked. She was suddenly very aware of this fact, as well as the fact that she had nothing else to put on.

"Um," she said, momentarily at a loss for what to say. Samantha was trying very hard not to stare, but ultimately failed, only snapping her eyes away from Shepard's body and to her face when the woman finally spoke. "Would it be too cliché to ask if you like what you see?" She had a smirk on her face.

Samantha blushed, her dark skin gaining a slightly red hue. "It might be cliché, but I don't know anyone who wouldn't enjoy the view," she answered, emboldened by their blossoming friendship, even as she averted her eyes in embarrassment. Suddenly, she found fingers under her chin, a gentle pressure upturning her face. She locked eyes with Shepard, who was now kneeling next to her.

"Is that so," she said, a grin dancing on her lips. She was so close now, maybe ten centimeters separating their lips, and Samantha couldn't breathe. She couldn't do anything to stop it; Shepard's lips were going to connect with hers. She idly wondered what her tongue would taste like, her heart fluttering at this opportunity to find out what Liara had spoken of. There wasn't room for any other thought as her world stood still for an eternity, their lips hovering millimeters apart.

Her senses reeled as their lips touched, so many sensations noted all at once. Green irises deeper than any sea held her gaze before they both had the good sense to close their eyes. The smell of leather, earth, and the soap from the bath assailed her nostrils. The sound of a breath inhaled sharply through a nose and a whimper (which Samantha realized was her own) came to her ears. The feel of the woman's hands, one cradling her face, the other snaking around her waist, nearly made her faint. A tongue darted out, seeking entry into her mouth, tasting like cinnamon and something else, something warm and sweet and dark, like tobacco or some other smoked herb. If the other woman had not been holding on to her so sturdily, she surely would have collapsed. As it was, she leaned into the steady support, wrapping her arms around Shepard's neck. And lost herself in that kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut warning!

" _Ai! Díos mío,_  Lola!"

Shepard fell over, dragging Samantha with her.

"I go to get you a new set of clothes, like a good friend, and I come back to find you  _necking_ ," he continued, a look of utter disappointment on his face. He threw the clothing at her. "Here. Take your time." His words dripped sarcasm. "It's not like we have _work_  to do or anything." He walked away, muttering in Spanish to himself while shaking his head.

Samantha scrambled out from under the clothes, evading Shepard's hands, shaking her head at Shepard's words, trying to get her to stay. She bolted through the door like her feet were on fire. Shepard cursed and got up, pulling her jeans on. No one had ever been so resentful to a set of clean clothing.

She stalked outside to find that James was astride the pinto, and had the palomino ready to go for her. "Get on," he said, gesturing with his head. "We need to  _talk_."

Once they were out at a trot, Baxter happily running ahead of them, he spoke up. "What's the deal, Lola? I see you makin' out with Liara last week, and then now I walk in on you with Sam? Their lives are hard enough as it is! And they're  _together_! I mean, seriously, Lola. What the actual  _fuck_?!"

"I know what I'm doing, Diego," she shouted back, willing the blood to stop rushing back into her face.

"I just walked in on you taking advantage of someone who's  _clearly_ had enough shit served on her plate," he roared. "Sure doesn't seem like you know what you're doing!"

Shepard was quiet for a moment. The answer was simple, really. So she just said it. "I'm not taking advantage of anyone. I like her, alright? Jesus, Diego!" She sighed as she slowed her horse to a walk. "I didn't mean to, but I like 'em both."

That shut him up. They just rode in silence for a few minutes before he finally replied. "Well damn, Lola." He looked over at her. "You thought about what's gonna happen when-"

"Shut up, Diego," she warned. He was getting dangerously close to blowing their cover. Talking about the mission while on it was something they strictly didn't do. "I'll figure it out, alright? And you can figure out what the  _fuck_  you're gonna do about your little  _thing_ with Steve." He looked at her, shocked that she knew. "Yeah, I know. It's okay. We'll figure it out."

"Yeah, okay," he grumped. He got the warning. He also got that there was more going on than he knew, something to do with the mission. And something to do with those  _girls_.

* * *

As they pulled up to the barn, a guard came riding up to them on a hover-bike. She'd seen him around – he was the one usually assigned to guard the house during the daylight hours. He was black, with brown eyes, short black hair, and a goatee and mustache. He was cut, his muscles clear through his tight leather uniform, but James was definitely still bigger. She idly wondered who'd beat whom while arm wrestling.

"Hey, you two," he said, slowing down long enough to toss each a pistol. "I take it you know how to use those?" At their affirmative nods, he said, "Then come with me." He regarded them for a moment, a smirk on his face. "You can stay on the horses." Then he sped off. They looked at each other, shrugged, and followed him. Baxter followed behind.

"What's this all about," she called as she caught up.

"We have to take care of some indigenous pests that decided to build a nest near the border."

"How'd they get in? I thought there was a barrier around the place?"

He looked over at her before answering. "They're out, not in."

"Okay. There's still the barrier  _and_  the fence," she said. Why'd they have to go shoot some rabbits or something with those to keep them out?

"You don't know what's indigenous on Filebar, do you? These sons of bitches find weak point in the barriers over time. And the fence? Made of the highest quality, military-grade materials? Seriously, the same alloys they use in military dreadnoughts. They have no problem making holes for themselves through the bars. Plus, you know, they dig. The barrier doesn't extend underground, at least not far. We have to go out here every now and then to shoot the bastards and scare them away."

Shepard was quiet for a moment. Then, "Do we at least get shields, too?"

The guard laughed. "You get close enough to need 'em, you won't be alive much longer. Just shoot 'em from the horse. Or are you not real gun-totin' cowboys?" He said the last with an artificial drawl to his voice.

James answered for her. "You bet we are! Just show us what to shoot, and I bet each of us will get more'n you!" Shepard rolled her eyes, silently vowing to win despite her thoughts of how juvenile a body-count contest was.

As the approached the gate, the guard accompanying them keyed something into his omnitool. Shepard made sure to inconspicuously pay attention, silently congratulating herself as the barrier dropped and the gate opened. Memorizing that code was sure to come in handy. They rode through and veered immediately to the left. The horses were becoming a little lathered now. Shepard shouted that they needed to slow them down until the action actually started. The guard shook his head, but slowed his hover-bike all the same. She was sure he also rolled his eyes, but since they did actually slow down, she held her tongue. They were live animals, damnit! They couldn't be pushed like machines – if they broke down, they were dead. You can't fix a dead horse.

After another minute of silent trotting, brown grasses and the occasional tree passing them by, she saw the "pests" in the distance. All she could think was "fuzzy varren."  _Giant_  fuzzy varren. She let go of the reins, aiming the pistol while steadying her aim with her empty hand, controlling the horse with her knees and feet. She let her first shot out just as James and the guard did, and the creature that had just noticed their approach fell, dark blood exploding out the back of the bullet wounds. The horses sensed the blood and picked up speed, their eyes dilating with the rush of adrenaline through their systems.

Her horse carried her past the group, and she got a good look. The colony of the animals reminded her of Meer cats on Earth, the one they'd already shot being the lookout. As she took in the scene, another two fell, James whooping as the mare he rode took him straight through the center of the colony. She took aim at another, which had just turned its sights on James, ready to pounce and take him out. It fell in a spray of blood and bone.

Shepard jettisoned a heat sink and popped in another, watching as the guard veered to the side, shooting from a distance. She looked around. There were six more creatures left – two had run into the dens dug into the ground. The four above ground were felled quickly, with no injuries sustained by the humans, despite James' brash move. They regrouped and dismounted.

"Well done," said the guard, parking his bike and approaching them. "I'm Taylor, by the way, Jacob Taylor." He held out his hand.

"Lola," said Shepard, taking his hand. "And my friend here is Diego." James grunted a greeting and took his hand, as well.

"Well, Lola, Diego, I'm impressed. I'm sure there's a story to how you know how to shoot so well from horseback. You'll have to tell me after we finish these things off."

"And how exactly do we lure them out?" She eyed the two den openings.

"The only way to flush them out is to bomb them, I'm afraid," said Jacob, striding forward with several grenades. "It feels cruel to bomb them while they're underground, but otherwise they just stay there and eventually make  _more_." He made to set a grenade when it happened. One of the creatures jumped from inside the den they were approaching, knocking both men to the ground. They mercifully were spared any serious injuries, as far as she could tell. It turned at her shout, focusing its sights on her, but she was ready for it. As it moved toward her, she raised her gun and unloaded a quick succession of three shots into its open, snarling mouth, spraying the boys behind it in its brains. It slid to a halt at her feet, not one scratch or mark on her. She walked over to Jacob, calm and cool, grabbed a grenade out of his hand, set it, and rolled it into the den. She didn't move as it went off, dirt spraying up into the air in front of her, silhouetting her in utter destruction.

Jacob looked over at James from his spot on the ground. "I, uh, think she won, Diego."

James smiled, staring at Shepard's ass once again. "Yeah, buddy, I think she did."

* * *

"Mr. Taylor informs me that you performed above and beyond your job description," said Henry Lawson, sitting behind his desk, regarding them both intently. They had returned from their trip through the fence a couple of hours earlier, Shepard insisting they bring the bodies of the creatures back with them. She couldn't shake her financially difficult upbringing that easily – if the corpses were at all useful, then that was great. If they weren't, then they could at least burn them instead of leaving them outside to rot in the heat. Jacob had agreed and called for a shuttle, and they were quickly loading the giant monsters up to be taken back. It had taken an hour after that to cool the horses down, taking off their tack and brushing them, setting them up in clean stalls in the barn for the night.

"Your first impression when I returned has been improved. I reward good employees well." He sat up straighter and grabbed a data pad, appearing to near the end of his debrief. "You may have your pick of the slaves, on any night when I, myself, am not in need of them. My only rule is that they are able to work the next day." He looked up at them. "So if your tastes tend toward the violent, be sure that rule stays at the forefront of your mind." He paused. "I have no need for any of them tonight." He then returned to his data pad, no further words forthcoming. Apparently, they were dismissed.

They were both silent for a couple of minutes as they left the man's office and went to their room. Finally, Shepard spoke up. "I can't believe he hands them out like candy for a job well done. Samantha was absent from Adam's birthday because she was being  _used_ by one of his business associates." She scowled and turned to face James. "How many of his employees do you think he's done this for?"

"I don't know, Lola. Probably not that many – you think any of  _them_  have saved anyone else by blowing shit up?" He was trying to lighten things up, but he was failing to do so. He sighed. "You gonna take him up on his offer?"

Shepard kicked off her boots and shrugged out of her vest. "If they're willing, I'm not gonna turn 'em down." She moved toward the bathroom, continuing to disrobe. "And I'm willing to bet you aren't, either."

* * *

"So. We're to go to Lola?"

"Yes, Samantha. We are being offered as…  _reward_  for services rendered."

"I see. How do you feel about that?"

"In all honesty, I hope she does not plan on being noble tonight. I want this. With you."

"I think I do, too, Liara. Come, let's go, before I lose my nerve."

* * *

Shepard sat smoking a joint. She was nervous. She didn't know what was going to happen tonight.

She looked around her, taking in her surroundings. She'd left the stallion out in his corral, bedding the mares down in the barn. She sat on a stool in the middle of the barn, surrounded on all sides by hay and the smell of horses.  _It's a good thing I got good at blocking that smell out when I was a kid_. She smiled as she recalled her first time with a girl, in her uncle's barn, hay sticking them in all manner of unpleasant places before they had the good sense to spread out a blanket. They also never got fully naked out there again. Full nudity was only romantic and sexy if you didn't get hay stuck in your twat. She chuckled aloud at the thought.

She took another hit on the joint, feeling the calming effect of the marijuana. She didn't know what she wanted tonight. Scratch that, she knew  _exactly_  what she wanted, but she wasn't the kind of person to just demand it. James had been right – these were two women who'd been handed a whole mess of shit to sift through, and she didn't want to add to it. But she'd kissed one of them, and made out with the other, and had been assured that it was cool with both of them. And she wasn't entirely sure that her feelings stopped at the physical. But she was also trying to rescue them, a whole lot riding on her ability to do so.

"Shit," she sighed, running both hands through her hair in frustration. "What the Hell are you getting yourself into, Lola?"

"You know, they say it's a sign of insanity to address oneself as another person." Shepard looked up to see Samantha had entered the barn, hand-in-hand with Liara. She smiled bashfully. Shepard's heart sank, settling somewhere in the region of her belly button.  _She knows_ , she thought to herself, failing at the simple task of swallowing.  _They both know why they're here, what I want_. She watched as time slowed down, carrying the two women toward her ever so slowly.

Shepard was transfixed by the curve of Samantha's legs. They were well muscled, carrying her with a grace Shepard had never possessed herself. Her skin was so dark in the light of the one lamp Shepard had turned on, shadows upon shadows dancing across her body. Her eyes, a deep, dark brown, so intelligent, and currently dripping sex appeal. She wanted to make those eyes close in ecstasy as that mouth opened in a scream…

"Having trouble?" Those eyes were very close now, Samantha kneeling in front of her, a coy smile playing across her lips. She took the joint from Shepard's hand and stubbed it out, discarding it on the floor almost carelessly. She placed one hand on each of Shepard's knees, coming forward onto her own knees. Shepard tried, and failed once more, to swallow.

She then jumped at the feeling of hands on her shoulders. She looked up to find Liara settling herself behind her on her knees, running her fingers up and down Shepard's back. Samantha's hands trailed up Shepard's thighs to her stomach, finding the buttons to her vest and deftly undoing them. Liara slipped the garment off of her and began to find tense spots on her shoulders, smoothly rubbing them until she relaxed.

Shepard tried to speak. "I…"  _What did I want to say?_  She tried again. "You don't have to-" She was cut off by Samantha's lips pressing against her own. Somehow, as she'd tried to speak, the woman had placed herself firmly between Shepard's legs, getting close enough for a kiss. And Shepard could simply not control herself any longer. With the weed pumping through her head, a warm, willing woman kissing her, and another pressed against her back, she lost herself in the haze of her lust, wrapping Samantha in her arms and invading her mouth with her tongue.

* * *

James lay on his back, panting as his body cooled and the sweat dried. He was naked as the day he was born, though that was about the only similarity. He'd been born hairless, tiny, and weak, needing a blood transfusion within the first few hours of his life. He now lay in all his naked, hairy glory, large muscles relaxed, proud manhood lying on display between his legs, limp now that he'd completed an outstanding half-hour of mind-blowing sex. He wrapped an arm around his bedmate, a sloppy grin spreading across his face.

"So that's a 'yes,' then," asked Steve, nuzzling into James' huge chest, arm thrown across his stomach.

"Yes, that's a 'yes,'" replied James, snickering.

"Do you like other boys, too?" James nodded lazily, eyes half-open. "What about girls? Do you like them?"

"Yeah. I do."

"Do you like one more than the other?"

"I like  _you_ , for more than this, if that's what you're asking." He looked down at Steve, who now wore a pleasant smile on his face, eyes closed. "I mean it," he said, jostling him. "I don't know how it's supposed to work, with you stuck here. But I like you, and I like spending time with you. I wanna keep doing it."

Steve chuckled at the unintentional double entendre of his last sentence. "You are one insatiable man."

James grin grew wider. "I could go again, I won't lie. And from the feel of you against my thigh, I'm gonna guess that you can, too."

"What makes you so sure that's for you?"

James' eyes flashed. He hauled Steve on top of him, capturing his lips in a greedy, hungry kiss, a growl coming from low in his throat. "Oh, I can make  _sure_  it's for me,  _amante_."

* * *

"That's… quite an impressive  _instrument_." Samantha was completely naked, lying on her back on a blanket spread over a bed of hay. She'd made love to Liara like this, but their lovemaking generally involved kissing, caressing, lying naked together, and the Bond. Never had they touched each other like Shepard had been touching her.

For the last several minutes, Shepard had been feasting on her, face buried firmly in her warm, sweet folds, sounds of feral pleasure coming from both of them. Not to be forgotten, Liara lay by Samantha, naked body pressed against hers, lips planted securely over Samantha's, tongue invading her mouth. She ached to reach out and initiate the Bond, but held back, letting Samantha enjoy this, and letting herself enjoy the view. And the sounds. And the feel of the woman she loved squirming and squealing in her arms. Yes, she positively ached for release from these sensations alone.

Shepard, for her part, was higher than she thought she'd ever been. Except she wasn't anymore, not really. She'd had just enough in her system to facilitate this amazing thing that was happening, but it had worn off at least twenty minutes before. Now her blood pounded with lust. She was no longer buried between Samantha's thighs, having pushed herself to her knees to unzip her jeans. Liara had surged up to help, leaving Samantha lying, panting while she watched a truly spectacular sight unfold before her.

Shepard stood before her, in undershirt and a dildo with no apparent strappings. Clearly, one end disappeared inside her, the other standing out from her pelvis, promising utterly delicious things for Samantha's insides. She squirmed, squeezing her legs together, feeling her labia slide against each other as she clenched her legs. Her tongue darted out, licking her bottom lip in anticipation. The sight of Shepard kissing Liara, their skin contrasting against each other, their hands all over the other, sent a shiver down her spine. She wanted Shepard to be inside of her already. She blinked, and it was happening, Shepard's hands on the blanket to either side of Samantha's hips, Liara aiding in guiding the appendage to Samantha's entrance, Shepard shuddering in apparent pleasure as she slowly sank inside of Samantha.  _Pleasure-transmitting…_

She pushed inside until her pelvis met firmly with Samantha's hips. She took a well-muscled thigh in one hand and guided it around her hip, the other leg following suit, tightening around her, pulling their bodies even closer. She could feel Shepard against her cervix, and it felt wonderful, to feel so  _full_ , in such a different way from what had become her normal. She pulled Shepard's face down to her own, catching her lips in a breathless kiss as Shepard began to move.

It was like heaven, feeling so full, facing her partner, having her weight atop her, her lips on hers. She could feel the ridge at the head of the dildo dragging across her inner walls, and couldn't imagine how it could be better. But then Liara lay down again, unable to control herself any longer. She reached out with her mind, wrapping Samantha in a warm, comforting mental embrace. Samantha felt the familiar presence and welcomed it, sharing the sensations she was experiencing with her lover.

When Liara reached out to Bond with Shepard, the physical world fell from her. She could still feel Samantha's wet, silky warmth wrapped around her temporary extension, but she no longer saw anything. As she moved, continuing the sensations for all of them, her mind felt as though it were free falling in a warm, soft wind. She caught glimpses from the both of them, colors, sounds, the echo of her own movements inside of her. She witnessed the love the two women shared for each other. She even saw a glimmer of their first kiss, the feelings and sensations experienced by each.

It was different from the meld she'd shared with Liara the week before. The other woman was not sifting through her memories for information this time, instead just  _being_. They existed in a standstill of time, their individual thoughts merging, seeing simultaneously, experiencing each other's arousal.

Time sped back up as Samantha was pushed closer and closer to the edge of the cliff that would be their shared orgasm. Shepard's movements were relentless, pushing deep inside of her, brushing against her cervix and stretching out her labia with each driving thrust. Liara had never experienced this before. Henry Lawson had made a habit of using her in his bed, yes, but it had never been pleasurable before. Experiencing Samantha's pleasure like this, feeling every single sensation in the throes of passion, was a first for her. It was exhilarating. She recognized the wave that was cresting, having driven them both there countless times before, but never in this manner, never with these physical sensations.

Shepard, for her part, sped up, driving into Samantha with no hesitation, and no sound other than the occasional grunt, her vision having returned to her after the initial shock of their shared Bond. She wrapped an arm around Samantha's arched back, supporting herself with the other arm, a feral grin spreading over her face at the reaction they all experienced at Shepard's possessiveness. She drove them all right to the edge, slowing down just enough to keep them there for a few deliciously agonizing seconds before she drove them all over the cliff.

All three of them felt Samantha tighten around Shepard's cock, warm, wet muscles squeezing so hard, she might have broken it if it had been real. As it was, Shepard buried herself to the hilt, turning her head to kiss Liara as Samantha threw her head back, letting a scream out. Her fingers dug into Shepard's shirt, her heels pressed into her ass, and her head pressed into the blanket. Shepard grunted her orgasm, spasming around the end of the toy that had been planted firmly inside of her before she'd gotten dressed after her shower. Liara's insides squirmed and clenched in time with the others, an utterly new sensation – and one she would decide she wanted more of, once they'd all come down and recovered from their ordeal.

As her orgasm withdrew, so did Liara's mind, and Shepard collapsed on top of Samantha, still buried deep inside of her.

"Fuck," she mumbled into Samantha's throat. "You ladies are gonna  _kill_  me."


	7. Chapter 7

Samantha awoke slowly. She found that she was lying naked on a blanket in the barn, and that it was still dark out. She lifted her head and shifted her gaze, seeing that she lay in Liara's arms, her head resting on her shoulder, Liara's arm wrapped around her own shoulders. Shepard was lying with them, one arm tucked up under Samantha's breasts, wrapped snugly round her chest, her other arm acting as a pillow for Liara. Samantha could feel the woman's breasts against her shoulders, Liara's breasts practically in her face. It was an odd position to find oneself in, but it worked – she, at least, was quite comfortable. And surrounded by breasts, which meant she could die, right now, and be perfectly content.  _What a way to go…_

As she studied the two women, her thoughts wandered back to their tryst. It had all been so wonderful. She'd never have thought she'd  _enjoy_  sharing Liara. But it had worked, somehow, especially when Liara had joined all three of their minds. She'd been surprised by the emotions that had flared from the other human – lust, affection, and a very strong possessiveness chief among them – but found that she was okay with this. From Liara she had unconditional love, and a second mother to her child.  _From Lola I have a protector. One who's incredibly talented with her tongue_ …

As she chuckled to herself, Liara's eyes fluttered open, a smile pulling at her lips.

Samantha smiled right back. "Hey, there," she whispered, putting her head back down and looking up into those amazingly blue eyes.

"Hey," Liara whispered back, placing the hand not wrapped around her shoulders on her cheek. Her smile grew wider as her gaze landed on the sleeping third member of their party.

"It was… incredible."

"I agree. If I had known I could pleasure you like that…"

"Don't." Samantha's eyes narrowed as she looked up into Liara's face. "You bring me great pleasure, and comfort. You enabled this to happen. I don't think I would be able to be intimate with anyone if not for your ability to soothe and dampen my memories of our… hmmmm…  _benefactor_. So don't. I love you, and this does  _not_  change that."

Liara's smile just grew through Samantha's speech. She pushed her face forward and kissed her lover on the forehead, lingering there, enjoying the familiar smell and feel of the other woman. She made a decision then, to share something with Samantha, but was interrupted by Shepard stirring.

"Hey, you two." Liara drew her head back to look into the other human's face. Shepard removed the arm that was wrapped around Samantha and placed it on Liara's cheek, a genuine smile on her face. She kissed her forehead, then replaced her arm, pulling Samantha snugly into her, hugging her with her whole body, feeling Samantha practically melt into the embrace, and kissing the top of her head. She hadn't expected to feel this way upon waking, like she was the protector of a family of three – four, counting Adam – but she did, and she knew they knew, it having flared up for all to feel as they came down from their orgasm, the Bond still active, but no one seemed to mind. No one seemed angry that she'd somehow managed to insinuate herself into their lives. But if it was to continue, then she needed to get them out. And that meant that Samantha needed to know, so she could be ready. Shepard was very close to being ready to spring them; she just needed to do a little more digging.

"I think I love you. Both of you." Liara's eyes shot back up to Shepard's face, and Samantha squirmed around enough so she could look up into her face, as well. "I understand if that doesn't work for you. I'll leave you alone if you don't want me interfering." She paused, sighed, looked away for a moment. "Liara, I need you to share with Samantha what we, um…  _discussed_  last week. It's time everyone knew."

Liara, who had been smiling at Shepard's admission, felt a tickle in her eyes as tears began to form.  _We're getting out of here_. She nodded her understanding, pulling Samantha to look into her darkening eyes. She reached out with her mind and showed the woman she'd loved for her entire time on this estate exactly who Shepard was, and what she was here to do for them.

* * *

_Ash,_

_I think we should visit soon. I just need to speak to the boss about how long he's planning on keeping us on. His lessons on horseback start today._

_Hey, maybe you could meet us nearby soon? You, me, and Diego need to find a bar to jam in – I miss the sweet sound of your girl. Bring along anyone you like, especially if they're a fiddler – I miss playing with a good fiddle._

_Anyway, just thought I'd let you know that it looks like this job might be wrapping up soon. Once the horses and riders are trained, all he needs is grooms, and the occasional farrier. I'd just be bored if I stayed too much longer._

_Lola_

* * *

Ashley got up from her desk, thinking. The message was clear: Shepard had an idea for a way out, but she needed to do a little reconnaissance first. In the meantime, Ashley and the rest of Shepard's crew were to make their way nearby, to be ready for extraction. She'd said "soon" twice – that meant be ready anytime.

She left her quarters, making her way on the elevator to the CIC. When she exited, she paused for a moment, taking in the crew around her, awaiting her orders. She still wasn't used to it, having so many people under her command. She'd held command before, yes, but she'd managed to be the only one of the 212 who survived the little experiment Cerberus had set up with those thresher maws on Akuze. The skipper had saved her, responding to their distress call along with a crew of twenty marines, and killed the sons of bitches, dragging Ashley back to their ship before she bled out. Since then, she'd been more than happy to take her orders from the woman.

Now, though, she was the XO on the Normandy, a state-of-the-art ship that had been stolen from Cerberus (which had felt  _fucking_ good, given her history with the organization). She wasn't too happy with their current  _guest_ , but she understood the need to have her on-hand.

She sighed, stepping away from the elevator to speak with Joker.

"Joker, be ready to move out. We'll have the stealth drive engaged the entire time. I'll let you know our coordinates as soon as I speak with Miranda."

"You got it, Ash. And Ash?" Ashley paused, having started to move away to find Miranda. "You could have told me that over the comms."

"Yeah, I know. But I like moving around. I only stopped getting ground assignments recently."

"Right. Well. I guess I get it. I mean, I can't, so you just gotta rub it in, yeah?" His eyes sparkled with his self-deprecating joke.

"Right, Joker. I like moving around because you can't. Let's just go with that. But since you remind me of technology and all… EDI?"

The AI's holographic representation popped up. "Yes, Officer Williams?"

Ash rolled her eyes. She didn't know what it was about the AI's attitude that got to her – the thing was perfectly cordial and polite. Maybe that was it – how was a machine cordial and polite? Shouldn't it just be robotic? "Where's Lawson?"

"She is in her old quarters from before the allegiance of this ship was transferred to the Alliance."

"Right. Got it.  _My_  quarters." She glanced over to the holographic sphere. "Thanks."

"You are welcome, Officer Williams." The sphere disappeared into the console.

Ashley worked her way to the XO quarters that had been given over to Miranda for the duration of this mission. Ashley would have minded, but she was given the use of the Nest while Miranda was in her quarters, so she didn't bitch. But the former Cerberus operative just rubbed her the wrong way. She needed to remove the stick from her ass, maybe get a little drunk. Oh, and not have worked for Cerberus. But she sort of got it – if her sisters were in danger, there was a whole lot she would do for them. Miranda had gotten stuck, her brains and other abilities being blackmailed out of her from an organization she had thought could help her. Ashley tried to be sympathetic. It was hard, though.

The door opened for her, and Ashley found Miranda sitting at a console, doing who-knew-what. "Lawson," she said, coming to stand just far enough inside for the door to shut behind her.

"Yes, Officer Williams?" She almost sounded just like that damn AI, perfectly polite and pleasant, and yet Ashley had the urge to slap her, shake her, anything to get some other expression on the woman's face.

"Shepard's made contact. She'll be ready to leave soon, and we need to be ready to get her anytime now. We need to know where we're going." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I will make sure to share the coordinates with Mr. Moreau," Miranda responded, ever the picture of the professional. She knew that her demeanor made most of the Alliance personnel around her uncomfortable, but it was her only coping mechanism, and she couldn't let it fall away so easily or quickly. It was her armor when she worked for Cerberus, maintaining her cool no matter what threat was thrown at her. It was her icy demeanor that had kept her from much of her father's more violent ire, and had always kept men from trying for more with her; ultimately, it had kept her and her sister safe. Here, with so much riding on this mission, and surrounded by people who would not forgive her as easily as Shepard had for her involvement with Cerberus, it was the only thing that was familiar. She could handle being the Ice Queen in exchange for some semblance of control over her circumstances.

"Fine. Tell our  _guest_  to be ready. We might need her help."

"Of course, Officer Williams." Miranda sighed internally. Their guest was impossible. She silently prepared herself to be thrown against a wall. She didn't miss the smirk Ashley gave her as she turned to leave. Miranda sighed aloud this time before reaching to contact their resident biotic  _hurricane_.  _Maybe I'll experience less violence over the comms, at least…_

* * *

Shepard saddled the stallion, getting him ready for Henry Lawson to ride. He didn't know it, but this would be his only chance to learn from her – she planned on being the hell away before the next little lesson of his.

She'd spent every night over the last week with Samantha, Liara, or both. James had been conspicuously absent for most of it, as well, probably knowing that she wasn't going to be in the barn every night. She knew he'd consummated his relationship with Steve, and would have been thoroughly surprised had she not once caught him balls-deep in another soldier once on shore leave, behind the bar they'd been drinking in. It had taken a fair amount of whiskey to bleach the image from her brain, but ever since, they'd been close, comfortable in the knowledge that the other batted for the same team (in James' case, both teams).

Sleeping with just Samantha or just Liara was bittersweet – it usually meant that the other was spending time with Lawson. Every time she felt guilty, making love to one while the other was being used in such an awful way. But the guilt could easily be buried when a woman she was falling more deeply in love with came to her room, stripped off both their clothes, and pushed her onto the bed. Afterwards, they would lie in each other's arms, basking in post-orgasmic bliss until the missing party would wander in. Whoever had been used that night by their master would come in, post-shower, and melt into both women's arms, allowing them to kiss, cuddle, and Meld the experience away, until all slept peacefully, cuddled quite close on the twin bed.

Shepard had become quite familiar now with what it was Lawson did to them, reliving the experience with each of them each time. For Sam, it was always a battle against her body, which would begin to respond positively to the man's attentions, even though she did not want it. For Liara, it was possible to detach herself from what her body was experiencing; but she still detested the experience, being used in such a way. She did her best to mentally comfort the wounds, and to physically drive it from their minds when they made love. And in her downtime during the day, of which there was plenty, she spent as much time with Adam as she could, delighting in his company, and his inquisitive mind. In addition, she worked harder than ever on getting them out of there.

And now she was ready. She just needed to check out what illegal operations Lawson was running on his lands – she'd never forgive herself if she didn't. That was the plan for that night. She was going to get Jacob plastered while playing cards and nick his omnitool. Hopefully, she'd be in and out without him knowing what had happened. Just in case, though, she was going to spike his beer with a harmless sleeping agent. He'd wake up in the hay, maybe with a dick drawn on his face, just to keep up their  _charming_  disguises. And because when was a dick drawn on someone's face  _not_  funny?

Shepard returned her attention to Lawson. He was mounting the stallion –  _heh, mounting_  – with practiced ease.  _What the fuck does he need lessons for if he already knows what he's doing?_  She adjusted the stirrups wordlessly, letting him get a feel for the large animal. The horse had been responding well to their training, and now was just as docile as the mares – unless one of the mares was around, of course. Then he started whinnying and trying to throw his rider, looking to mate with the eternally-in-heat animals. So he was never ridden with a buddy.

"I see you've done this before." It wasn't a question.

"I grew up in Australia on the outskirts of the Outback – I've ridden a horse before, yes." The disdain the man had for her, despite his _generous_  offer of his slaves for her use, was palpable. He was so far above her she may as well have been dirt. She itched to spit on his perfectly polished boots, something nasty that only smokers and tobacco chewers could dredge up.

"Well, why don't you take him around the corral, and if he behaves, we'll take you outside the fence." This was going to be a long fucking day.

* * *

It worked like a charm. Jacob had slumped forward onto the card table not five minutes before, and Shepard now had his omnitool, which would make the most sophisticated scanning equipment think she was him, thanks to a few tricks a good friend – who was also the most successful thief in the business – had taught her. James pulled the man off his seat and dragged him over to a pile of fresh hay.

"Alright, I'm gonna go check out that building he always has guarded during the day. You stay here, make sure pretty-boy doesn't wake up." She tossed him a permanent marker with a grin. "And go ahead and make him prettier." He caught it with a smirk.

Shepard left the barn, stopping by her room to change into clothing that were all black before heading out. She silently made her way toward the building in the distance.

* * *

Henry Lawson shuddered to a finish. He pulled out of the blue asari whore and immediately sent them both away. He'd had both of them, spilling his seed in each – nothing satisfied him in quite the way that did. He knew it had produced a brat, but he had fixed that mistake, making sure the human had abortive birth control waiting in the slaves' quarters when he was through with her. The asari didn't need it, but he wasn't always in the mood to see her tentacled head below him. He was a human supremacist, and he liked to fuck a human, at least most of the time. There  _was_  something about seeing an alien take him inside of her, though.

He went into the bathroom and took a shower, washing away the accumulation of the day's work and the night's exertion. Once he was through, he pulled a chair up to his desk and checked a few things before he went to bed. He pulled up his terminal, went through his security measures, and checked in on the projects he was working on.

But something wasn't right. Someone had been in the system. They'd covered their tracks very well, but he could tell someone had been there, might even still be there now, looking at many of his files. "Bugger," he muttered, beginning the long process of finding everything that had been accessed, and tracing who might have done it.

* * *

"Momma!"

Samantha finished dressing and hurried over to her son, who had just sat bolt upright in bed, yelling for her. "Adam, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I…" He was wild-eyed, looking around, panting. "Something happened to Lola!"

"What's that," asked Liara, who had finished dressing somewhat more slowly, only coming over to the boy now.

"Liara, something happened to Lola!" He was slightly indignant now. His little eyebrows were furrowed in frustration – he was used to them listening to him.

"We saw her just a few hours ago, little one," said Liara in placating tones. "I'm sure she's fine."

"No! Something's happening!" He moved to get out of bed, a look of determination on his face.

"Adam, where do you think you're going," said Samantha, getting stern. After the night she'd had, she didn't much feel like dealing with the fancies of a four-year-old.

"You won't check on her, so I will," he said simply, now out of bed and pulling on his pants from earlier that day. He was stopped from leaving the room, however, by Liara swooping down on him, scooping him into her arms.

"How about we go check on her together, hmm?" She looked pointedly at Samantha, gesturing to the bed with a nod of her head. She then took the boy out of the room, heading toward the guest quarters across the lawn.

* * *

Shepard's eyes were wide. She looked at the data in front of her, unwilling to believe everything she had found.

She'd snuck in a few minutes before, slipping to the entrance while the guards were around the corner, fooling the scanners and other equipment with the tricks she'd learned from the thief, Kasumi. She'd made a mental note to try to nick something valuable for the woman, as a thank you, then set to work at the first computer terminal she'd come across.

What she found had made this little foray  _way_  worth the risk. Henry Lawson was into some seriously troubling things, carrying out experiments into inhalants that would disrupt an asari's biotic ability, to what ends she didn't know. But she didn't like the idea that he had an asari slave to experiment on once it was in its testing phase.

When she dug deeper in another, unrelated file, she'd struck gold. And it made her heart stop momentarily. Because Henry Lawson knew who she was.

He knew who she was, though he didn't seem to know why she was here – didn't know who Liara was, or why the Council, and Matriarch Benezia, wanted her. He probably assumed she was there to spy on him, which she supposed was true, as that was what she was doing at the moment.

She also found other troubling things. The experiments he was conducting were for Cerberus. He'd been working for them the entire time Miranda had been, accepting their tidbits of information on Miranda and Oriana in exchange for his research. The organization had been double-crossing Miranda the entire time she'd worked for them. Troubling, to be sure.

But that he knew who she was, and what she did, and the fact that she was slated to be the first Human Spectre, was troubling _indeed_. Most troubling, however, was finding out how he knew – he had a mole. In the Council. Udina.

An alarm flared to life then, shutting out her access. She hadn't finished her download, hadn't had a chance to finish covering her tracks. The data started to erase from the terminal. She looked down. She had it all except Udina's involvement – though she did have his name, at least. Still.

" _Cock_."

She ran.


	8. Chapter 8

Shepard ran.

The alarm was  _loud_.  _Fuck. I'm fucked. That's all there is to it_.

She ran harder.

* * *

Liara knocked gently on the door to Shepard's quarters, shifting Adam in her arms so he sat propped on her hip. She got no answer. This made her eyebrows knit. She'd planned on joining her in bed later that night, along with Samantha – they both needed the woman's attention, her comfort, after what they'd just gone through together at the hands of Henry Lawson. But she wasn't here. She decided to go in uninvited, just in case.

The room was empty. She set Adam down to contemplate.

"Liara?" She shifted her attention to the boy, who had immediately crawled atop James' bed to look out the window.

"Yes, Adam?"

"I see her. She's running out there." She moved to join him, and indeed, there she was, running like Hell itself was nipping at her heels, now entering the barn.

"Hmmm. I wonder what's wrong…" That's when she noticed the lights flashing on the building in the distance, the one that was always under guard. The guards were gathering, marching along the path Shepard had taken. "That  _can't_  be good…"

* * *

"James! Our cover's blown! Leave him, get Steve and a horse, and let's GO!"

Shepard had run into the barn and begun yelling without slowing down. She threw a saddle onto one of the horses, tightening the straps as fast as she could. They wouldn't have a chance in hell on foot, but neither did they have access to anything faster than the animals. She swung herself into the saddle and urged the horse out of the barn, whistling for Baxter.

James sat dumbstruck for just a moment before her words registered.  _Cover. Blown._ _Shit_. He grabbed a saddle, and ran out to the stallion. James was huge, and while not as big, Steve was still a decent size, and former military – they'd have a much better chance on the larger animal. He saddled it up quickly, then hauled himself up and took off after Shepard, toward the slaves' quarters.

* * *

Liara and Adam watched Shepard head back out of the barn in record time on horseback, heading for the wing of the house that held hers, Samantha's, and Steve's room.  _She's coming for us_.

She scooped the boy up and ran as fast as she could back outside, hoping she'd be able to get to Shepard before she gave up and started looking for her elsewhere. She chanced a glance toward the barn, seeing James throw a bundle onto the giant black horse they always kept separate from the others. Behind the barn, the guards were coming their way, getting nearer and nearer.

Adam clung to her neck for dear life, her shirt clenched in his little fists, somehow understanding how important it was for him to cooperate right now. She held on equally as tight, keeping him close to her wildly beating heart.

* * *

Samantha was easing herself into the bed she shared with her son. She was still sore from earlier, though she'd had the chance to shower, at least. She tried her best not to dwell on her experience that night, instead focusing on the night before, when it had been just her and Shepard, in Shepard's bed, making passionate love, then wiling away the time until Liara joined them by discussing Adam, and her University days, and growing up on a colony. She loved being wrapped in the taller woman's strong arms, loved constantly moving her hair out of her face, loved the way she interacted with her son, loved the way she looked at Liara, and she loved the feel of her body against her own. And on their first night together, she'd learned that she would be leaving. That Lola –  _Jane, Jane Shepard, decorated war hero_  – was her knight in shining armor.

She'd cried. Like a baby. And then she had initiated another bout of mind-blowing sex, already resembling lovemaking instead of a kinky three-way, this time focused on their rescuer, Liara being all-too-willing to help out. She'd treated that woman like a goddess, and now, after a week together, sharing the Bond every night, either after lovemaking or after her regular trauma with their captor, she was hopelessly in love. She'd seen her history, knew it like she'd been there with her. She knew both women like the back of her hand. She knew how they each felt toward everyone else, and how fiercely protective they both were of her and her son. Just thinking about it made her want to swoon.

She settled further on the bed. Once Adam was asleep again, she and Liara planned to go to Shepard. He hadn't asked any questions, seeming to accept that she was no longer going to be sleeping in the bed with him. The second day he'd wandered into the guest quarters very early in the morning, but everyone had been covered, thankfully, and he had dutifully awaited her outside Shepard's room, giving her a hug and a kiss when she came out, dressed, as if in approval. They'd fallen into a routine, then, of spending their nights together, leaving Adam to sleep on his own like a big boy, which he was more than thrilled with. During the day, he spent a good deal of his time with Shepard, learning about horses or playing with Baxter. It was the closest thing to "a normal life" her time here had ever resembled. It made her heart ache, but the ache was soothed by the knowledge that they would be gone, and free, soon.

Her reverie was broken by the sound of Shepard's voice calling, sounding like it was from quite a distance. She got up, curious, following the sound until she was at the doorway (no door, slaves don't  _get_  privacy or security). Shepard was riding up on horseback, shouting for her, her hair whipping everywhere, Baxter a short distance behind. It took a moment for Samantha to understand what was being said.

"Our cover is blown, Samantha, it's time to go!"  _Our cover is blown… Shit!_  She'd been in the military long enough to understand just how serious that was. She only hesitated because of Adam. Where were he and Liara? She voiced her concern as she came to her new lover, taking her hand and swinging up into the saddle behind her, completely unselfconscious of that fact that he skirt rode up to her hips, showing all her worldly goods to Shepard's back.

"We'll find them. But I have to get you out of here. Let's go." She turned the horse around, getting ready to kick it back to a run. But she was stopped by Liara's voice shouting.

"Shepard! Wait! We are here!"

* * *

Shepard was frantic. She knew she could take the twenty or so guards under normal circumstances, but these were not normal circumstances. She was going to have four civvies with her, and neither she nor James had a gun. Oh, and their transportation could be shot and killed at any time. The only thing saving them right now was the darkness, and luck.

James came riding behind her on the giant stallion, calling for Steve. The man came running out from another room after a few seconds, as barefoot as the other slaves, confused but willing to follow the shouted instructions. He was pulled onto the horse behind James, who then took Adam from Liara. Shepard pulled Liara up onto the horse in front of herself, and turned it to get the Hell out of there. She still had Jacob's omnitool, and had memorized the code for the barrier from the week before. She was hoping she could pull this off, flying by the seat of her pants as she was.

As she set off, James tossed her a pistol. He must've gotten it off of Jacob. She nodded, thrusting it into her waistband after checking the safety before urging her horse into its fastest run. She could see the guards reaching the barn, but she was headed in the opposite directions. She hoped against hope that the darkness was doing its job and keeping their exact whereabouts unclear.

As they reached the fencing, she activated the omnitool, punching in the code and transmitting the signal. The barrier hummed and went down.  _Finally, I catch a break_. The gate she knew was there also swung open, and they rode through. She didn't bother closing it behind her.

Instead, she activated her own omnitool on her other arm, punching in her own heavily encrypted signal, broadcasting as far as she could. At that power-rate, in the dark as they were (no sun to recharge it), she'd have enough power to transmit for about a minute. She hoped it work.

"Normandy," she yelled into her omnitool. "EDI! Ash! Our cover's blown. We need extraction RIGHT NOW!" Nothing. "Damnit, Ash, I told you in my note to get your ass here as soon as you fucking could!" Still nothing. They kept running, the horses starting to reach the point of no return.

Suddenly, the speakers flared to life. "We've got your location, Commander. Sit tight, we're in orbit right now, we'll be there in a couple of minutes." Ash's voice came through loud and clear for only a few seconds, fading away at the last. Shepard prodded her omnitool in frustration as she directed her horse not to trip and die. But as the thing had lost all power, it did little good. She would have sighed if she had not been out of breath from the adrenaline surging through her.

"She does realize our cover's blown and we're on the run, right," called James, riding slightly ahead of her now, due to a more powerful animal, and probably also a slightly lighter load. Liara held on to the saddle horn in front of her for dear life, while Samantha clung to Shepard's middle, keeping herself from falling off the back of the horse's rump. They couldn't maintain this for long. They needed to find cover, someplace to make a stand while they waited for her crew.

As if Providence were listening to her thoughts, she saw a stand of rocks to the side, a ways off. She veered her horse, calling out to James to do the same, and got them behind the tallest of the rocks, which were just as tall as the horses. She got everyone off and started issuing orders.

"Alright, our extraction team is on its way. We have to hold here until they get here. Liara, you mind Adam, Samantha and Steve, keep the horses from running off. No matter what happens,  _stay down_! I want the horses in case we need a get-away, but they're not worth getting shot. No one here has shields. Baxter." The dog's ears perked up at his name as he sat, panting heavily from his run. "Stay. No fight. James, did that big lug have more than this gun?" In answer, James grinned and held up a grenade launcher and a machine pistol. Shepard's eyes widened before she, too, grinned like the cat that ate the canary. "Well I guess he likes his toys. Give 'em Hell, James."

She took up position behind some rocks, affording her shelter in three different directions. She glanced over, seeing the group of guards from the estate passing through the gate they'd gone through just minutes before. They were all on some sort of speeder, large and flat, like a ferry, except hovering over the ground. They would be on them in sixty seconds at the outside.

"Cock," Shepard swore, checking her pistol. She only had the one round, unless James had thought to grab the man's supply of heat sinks. As if in answer, once again, he got her attention and chucked her a pack of the things, eliciting a nod of thanks from his CO. They checked their weapons one more time, then settled in to wait.

* * *

Her estimate, which she had hoped had been conservative, had instead been liberal – they were on them in thirty seconds, instead of sixty. She fired a couple of pot-shots at the driver, hoping only to slow them down, maybe make some of them jump off from their transportation. It worked. Her aim was as true as ever, taking the driver out completely.

That threw the rest of the men into confusion. Most jumped from the thing, taking cover behind it. A few stayed on, trying to get cover behind the guardrail. These were easily incapacitated by Shepard's pistol, two shots to take out the shields, one shot to the head. She'd always been an  _incredibly_  good shot. It was good to know that three or four weeks (it was hard to tell how long it actually was with these longer days) did nothing to make her rusty.

Baxter growled, but stayed put, keeping very close to Liara and Adam, standing at attention. No one would get past him to harm that boy.

She heard a horse whinny in protest behind her, answered immediately by soothing Spanish words in Steve's voice. The animal quieted, bringing a quick smile from Shepard. The stallion had gotten most of its attention from James, never having taken a liking to Shepard. James had a tendency to train his animals to respond to both Spanish and English, much to the frustration of anyone who didn't speak those languages. Steve clearly knew Spanish, in addition to English and Galactic, and had paid attention to something other than James' ass whenever he had stolen a few moments to come watch them outside.

"Alright, you sons of bitches. Stop firing, or I am gonna get medieval on your asses," James bellowed. Clearly, he was enjoying being able to be a marine again. Shepard had to admit – he was good at it. They didn't stop firing, so he loaded up the grenade launcher, took immediate aim during a momentary lull, and blew the transport into pieces, getting rid of their cover.

"Alright, Lola, that's it for the grenades."

"Well, I think you put that one grenade to good use, Diego – their cover's gone, and half their shields. Why don't you mow 'em down a little with that lovely machine pistol you nicked?"

He smiled. "With pleasure."

* * *

James had taken out three of the remaining twelve guards, but the rest had scattered, regrouping behind a barrier someone was generating with biotics. They would be able to break through it eventually, but not before everyone's shields had regenerated.

"Cock."

Just then, a massive rocket came through the sky, exploding the barrier to smithereens, rapid machine guns taking out the newly exposed guards.

"The cavalry has arrive," came a familiar voice through James' omnitool. Shepard rolled her eyes.

"We're the ones with horses,  _Joker_ ," James replied, grinning despite the sarcasm in his voice.

They all looked up from their spots behind the rocks to see the Normandy, in all its glory, lowering to the ground. She didn't actually land, instead hovering two or so meters above them, the shuttle bay door opening, ending within jumping distance from the ground. Out dropped one armored and two unarmored women, all armed.

"Hey, Skipper! Looked like you needed some help, there!"

"Naw. I just wanted to see if I could catch you with your pants down this time, Ash!" It was their joke, the fact that Shepard  _never_ caught her XO unprepared – it was why she was her XO.

"Fat chance of that, ma'am." She completed crossing the distance between them. "C'mon, let's get you off this hellhole."

"Hold on a sec. We need to take care of something before we get too far away." Shepard turned to the two women. "Jack," she said, requesting the aid of the tattooed woman she'd been sent to rescue several months earlier. They'd gotten to the point where she had a grudging respect for Shepard, accepting her orders. In return, Shepard didn't make her go through formal Alliance training, letting her stay on her ship until the Brass made her leave. So far, they'd been happy to let Shepard have her – it kept her out of trouble, trouble the Alliance would have had to clean up after.

"What is it, Shepard," she asked, coming over while shipping her shotgun.

In reply, Shepard took Adam, who immediately clutched as tightly as he could around her neck, from Liara and pulled the asari forward to stand in front of the human biotic. "Recognize this little number," she asked, indicating the biotic-suppressing metal device around the woman's neck.

Jack's eyes only narrowed in response.

* * *

Liara, Samantha, Adam, and Steve had remained silent as they were all rescued. They had no idea what was really going on, but clearly it was a good thing. Samantha and Steve both recognized the Alliance insignia on the hull of the ship. Adam sat wide-eyed in Liara's arms, while Liara watched in open-mouthed wonder as the three humans dropped from the ship that was hovering several meters away. She wasn't able to understand what was being said, the first human to speak having spoken up in English, a language Liara only recognized a little of.

Then she started recognizing the words.

"Okay, we're going to get this off of you. I don't want to go any further from the estate to do it, though – sometimes these things have safeguards that don't let you get too far away." Shepard had taken Adam from her, letting him cling very tightly to her, watching the hairless woman over his shoulder.

That human spoke up. "Alright, c'mon Blue, we have to overload the thing with biotics." Liara just looked at her quizzically. Jack rolled her eyes. "Shepard? You sure she's all there?"

Shepard smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure. Just take her over there so we can avoid the blast radius. Miranda, think you can help out? Maybe contain any explosions?" Miranda, who had been eyeing the young boy in her arms, refocused on her face and nodded once, heading off without another word.

"Dr. T'Soni," she said, coming up to her and offering a hand. "I'm Miranda Lawson." Liara's eyes got big, and she echoed the last name as she stared at her face. Miranda nodded, a mirthless smile gracing her features. "Yes, you heard that right. We can go into more details at a more convenient time. For now, we need to remove the collar." She removed her hand, chalking the asari's lack of social graces up to not being human. Or perhaps it was the fact that she'd been held captive, likely being used like a plaything by her father, for who-knew-how-long. She decided the woman had earned a few slips.

"You know how to remove it?" Liara spoke just above a whisper, her eyes still wide. Her astonishment at meeting her captor's long-lost daughter was pushed aside by the revelation.

Miranda nodded. "Yes," she said, taking her elbow and gently guiding her toward where Jack was waiting, hands already aflame with blue energy. "We've done it before, on her." She indicated Jack. "The results were somewhat…"

"Explosive," said Jack, grinning. "I got these scars from it," and she indicated the red, jagged lines on her neck. "The Cheerleader will keep it from happening to you, though. Can't have you messing up that pretty skin."

Liara walked to stand in front of Jack, accepting the smaller woman's hands around her neck, steeling herself for what was to come. Just for some reassurance, she glanced back to Samantha, smiling to reassure her lover.

* * *

"Hey, Shepard, what's with the kid," asked Ashley, standing back from the three biotics.

"I'll… explain later." She barely saw Ashley shrug as she turned, looking for Samantha. Steve was standing very close to James, who was speaking low to him in Spanish. She guessed he was explaining what was going on to his new lover, and left him to it.

She found Samantha still holding tight to the reins of both horses, staring at Liara, Miranda, and Jack. She didn't even notice Shepard come close until she was practically on top of her.

"Hey," she said, getting Samantha's attention. "Why don't I trade you?" She indicated Adam, who was still clutching tightly to her shirt, staring with even wider eyes than his mother at the three women a short distance off.

"Right," said Samantha, handing the reins over to Shepard's outstretched hand and digging her hands around her son's waist, practically prying him off of her. When he was clinging to her silently instead, Shepard caught her chin with her free hand.

"Samantha," she said softly, getting the woman to look into her face. "It's going to be alright now. You're done with this place." She watched as tears formed in the corners of the woman's eyes, being blinked back after a moment. Samantha nodded, smiling a watery smile, clutching more tightly to her son. Shepard gave her a quick kiss on her temple, turning to watch Jack do her work.

* * *

"Okay, let's do this," said Jack, who's hands had settled on the metal collar around Liara's neck. "I have to overload it while you do, too. You ready?" Liara nodded, a look of such determination on her face, Jack was momentarily thrown off her game. She recovered quickly, however, indicating Liara should try to use her biotics at that moment.

Jack's fists glowed more brightly as she gathered energy and directed it into the device around the asari's neck. Liara didn't look like she was doing anything, though Jack could feel her gathering dark energy to her. Visually, that was the extent of what happened.

Until the collar began to glow a bluish color. It got brighter and brighter over the course of a full minute, finally beginning to vibrate and hum. Jack's forehead had sprouted sweat, her face a mask of concentration. Liara was not sweating, but her face was equally as concentrated, staring into Jack's eyes as the woman stared right back.

Miranda stood ready, her own biotics glowing all up and down her arms. She could feel the dark energy being directed into the device, tingling in the air around her as it was gathered by the two women standing in front of her. Something was coming to a head, she could tell, and she readied herself to catch shrapnel before it had a chance to fly into anyone and cause any damage.

"Lawson," Jack yelled, gritting it out between her teeth. "Get ready! It's gonna happen… NOW!"

The collar exploded with a high-pitched shriek. Miranda's hands flared a stasis field around them both when Jack had indicated she do so, but Liara still cried out in pain. She dropped the field almost immediately, rushing forward to assess the damage.

"I- I am fine," said Liara, reaching up to manually check her neck. Miranda beat her to it, removing a chunk of metal from above her collarbone, reaching for a tube of medigel and slathering it over the wound as soon as the shrapnel was free.

"It looks like that was the extent of it. You're free." It was a simple statement, but Liara burst into tears at the sentiment. Jack rolled her eyes, panting heavily next to them both.

"Jesus, Blue. Get ahold of yourself. And get the  _fuck_  away from me, Cheerleader." She directed the last at Miranda, who had turned to examine her for injuries. Miranda glared, then shrugged and turned back to the asari.

"Are you alright, Doctor T-"

"Lola, we've got company!"

All three women turned to see James pointing in the direction he, Shepard, and the slaves had come from. In the distance, hover bikes could be seen.

"Shit," she said. She knew who it was. It would just have been too convenient if they'd taken him out with the guards. "It's my father."


	9. Chapter 9

"Yah!"

Shepard slapped the flanks of the horses, sending them running.

"Ash! I could use a bigger gun!" Almost as soon as she said it, she found one shoved into her hands, along with a shield generator. She clipped it on and checked the gun, yelling to get Samantha, Steve, and Adam on the ship.

She aimed a few shots in the direction of Lawson and Taylor, who had apparently regained consciousness, but the bullets just made the biotic barrier flare in front of the two. She swore. She'd forgotten Jacob was a biotic.

* * *

Liara's biotics flared for the first time in ten years. It was like being reunited with a missing limb, the limb having been gone so long that she'd forgotten what it was like to feel whole. The energy surged through her veins, filling her to the brim and spilling out, making her whole body begin to glow.

She ran to Shepard's side, feeling adrenaline course through her veins as well, confidence surging with it. She was going to make this man pay for  _every_  hurt he had caused herself and her loved ones.

As she crouched next to Shepard and Ashley, Miranda and Jack joined them, both with guns pulled. Jack glowed much like Liara, while Miranda simply had a look of the utmost determination. If Liara had to guess, Miranda was thinking in much the same terms as she herself was.

"What are you doing?! Get on the ship," Shepard yelled to her, but she merely shook her head, eyes narrowing.

"Jack, was it?" Jack looked around to her, growling an affirmative. "Can you take out the barrier?"

Jack's grin was feral. She stood from her spot as if unconcerned that it exposed her, gathering a ball of dark energy to herself as she did so. She unleashed it toward the two humans with a shout. They had just come to a halt and were dismounting their vehicles, shouting something that Liara and the others could not hear, the ball of energy drowning out anything quieter than a shout from those right next to them. It hit the barrier Jacob was projecting, completely overwhelming it, sending Jacob to the ground with a shout, hands pressed to his temples in pain.

Henry Lawson's eyes were wide. He tried to duck behind his bike, but Baxter barked and launched himself at the man before he could take one step. He found himself held to the ground by the giant, snarling dog, his teeth on the man's arm, digging in painfully. When he tried to wrench himself away, the dog wrenched back, breaking his arm with an audible snap. He cried out in pain, suddenly finding himself unable to move, a stasis field holding him immobile as the dog was called away from him.

* * *

Samantha watched as the father of her child rode up on a hover-bike, as if in slow motion. She's been shoved away from the horses, her son in her arms, helped onto the ship roughly by James, himself and Steve following. She watched as Liara rushed to Shepard's side, watched as Jack took out the barrier, watched as Baxter launched himself at the man. When he was frozen in a stasis field, however, her brain finally acknowledged what he had been shouting as he rode up.

"Whores! I will gut him while I make you watch, you filthy  _animals_!"

Samantha's eyes narrowed, and she calmly removed Adam from her torso, handing him to Steve. Her mind was filled with just one thought -  _Over my dead body_. She leapt from the ship, marching straight to Shepard, not stopping as she took her pistol from her. She noted that it was Liara  _and_  the raven-haired woman who held the man to the ground, both wearing furious expressions on their faces. She simply narrowed her eyes further, marching her bare feet to stand before him.

She didn't notice everyone staring, expressions of confusion evident on their faces. She didn't hear Adam calling to her, nor did she see Steve struggling to maintain his hold on the young boy. She didn't hear James shouting at her in Spanish, didn't see Jacob lying on the ground, just starting to recover from the overload to his implant. The only thing she saw was Henry Lawson's eyes widen in fear, his mouth held in an "oh" of surprise. She raised her arm, calm as ever, eyes still narrowed, and shot the motherfucker right between the eyes.

"We are  _not_  yours."

* * *

Shepard tried to grab a hold of Samantha as she relieved her of her pistol and marched toward Lawson, but the woman slid out of her grip like water. Her heart beat in her throat as she watched her put herself in danger, unarmored, barefoot, wearing almost nothing. Her heart stopped when Samantha raised her arm holding the pistol. She whooped and did a fist-pump when she heard what she said to the dead man.

* * *

Liara snarled at Lawson, ready to completely rip his head off with the dark energy coursing through her body. She was therefore completely taken aback when she noticed Samantha walk in front of her and raise a pistol. All thoughts vanished from her head, replaced by the image of her lover, arm outstretched, aiming to shoot point-blank. When she squeezed the trigger, Liara flinched. When she heard her words, however, she was completely relieved. And then she fainted from her exertion.

* * *

Samantha started awake. She had no idea where she was. When she opened her eyes, she saw stars and glowing blue tendrils, framed by metal. She moved her head to look around, her eyes settling on an aquarium full of beautiful fish. She continued looking, smiling when she saw her son's angelic, sleeping face next to hers. She could smell his breath, feel it puff onto her face with each exhalation. He needed to brush his teeth, but the undercurrent of her sweet baby boy came with it, and it made her heart melt.

She made to sit up, but a sharp pain in her side kept her from doing so. She laid back down with an inhalation of pain.

"Whoa, slow down, there." She heard footsteps on the hard floor, and Shepard was quickly within her field of vision. She smiled down at her, sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning delicately over Adam, cupping Samantha's cheek gently for a moment. "How you feeling?"

Samantha considered herself for a moment before answering honestly. "My side hurts."

Shepard chuckled quietly. "Yeah, well, you got knocked down pretty hard before we took Taylor out. He broke a couple of your ribs for you. What do you remember?"

Samantha's brow furrowed. "We rode from the estate on horseback. A ship came to rescue us – we're on it now, aren't we?" Shepard nodded, but didn't say anything, prompting Samantha to continue. "Then… I shot Henry Lawson…"

Shepard grinned. "Yeah, you did. Like a  _fucking_ _badass_." Her eyes flashed, and Samantha couldn't help but mirror her grin. She was still military enough to understand the compliment. He was gone. He would torment her no more.  _We're safe. It's done._  "Then Jacob knocked you out before anyone thought to relieve him of his implant. Bastard took you down and kicked you in the ribs. Your head hit a rock and you lost consciousness before you would've felt his foot, though. How's your head?"

"It's okay, I think. How'd I end up in here? This is your cabin? Do you not have a med bay?"

"We do. I just thought it would be nicer for you to wake up with your… family." Shepard got almost bashful at the end of her sentence. She indicated Adam, placing her hand gently on his chest, then motioned to Samantha's other side, where Liara was lying, breathing deeply and evenly in her sleep. She lay on her side, facing Samantha, the blanket tucked up under her chin, both hands tucked under her cheek. Samantha smiled, looking back to Shepard.

"Thank you. Jane. Thank you for everything you have done for me. For us." She extricated a hand from the blankets and held it to Shepard's cheek. Shepard turned into it, burying her face in Samantha's palm.

"I love you, Samantha. You three mean more to me than I ever thought even  _one_  person would mean. It kinda snuck up on me." She kissed her hand a second time before pulling away. "Now, why don't you try to get more sleep? I have some work to do, as CO and all. I'll come back later, alright?" Samantha, already feeling drowsy again, merely nodded, turning to her side and wrapping her arm around her son, pulling him into her. He shifted unconsciously until she was spooning him. Shepard smiled at them. They were safe.

* * *

"So this is how our cover was blown. And why you're in such a hurry to get to the Citadel."

"Yep, that would be why."

James and Shepard were in the conference room, awaiting the rest of her ground crew, going over the data she'd mined from Lawson's database before he'd locked her out and erased it all. They weren't sure how to go about confronting Udina with his betrayal – it was going to be very hard to prove it. And they were still ten hours out from the Citadel.

Shepard was prevented from saying more when Ash walked into the room, followed closely by Miranda, Jack, and Steve, who was back in uniform and acclimating himself to the ship after a hot shower and meal. He'd only been abducted a year before, and had been a fighter pilot – he wanted to serve, and was more than able to. Shepard smiled at the motley crew, all adding their own unique talents to her squad. They might not all get along, but she'd seen them fight together today, and she knew they would continue to work together well.

"Alright people, everyone know everyone else?" At their affirming nods, she continued. "Okay, so, here's the deal. Our original mission has been accomplished – the extraction of asari scientist Dr. Liara T'Soni. However, something else has come to my attention. I did some digging – which prompted the need for your  _timely_  rescue," and here she nodded in Ash's direction, a lopsided grin on her face, "and I found that Cerberus has a mole in the Council. Lawson was working for Cerberus the  _entire_  time you were, Miranda." Miranda's eyes narrowed, a scowl on her face. "And he knew my identity before I even got there. Udina shared the info with him, though he didn't know the purpose for my little visit – we didn't share those details with anyone but the asari matriarch and Councilor Tevos."

"So, wait… Udina's gone rogue? What the Hell's his angle?" Ash leaned forward on the table, accessing an HI and scanning through some of Shepard's data.

"Well, even though he's on the Council, if you spend any length of time with him, you can almost  _taste_  his distrust of the other members – it isn't a huge leap for him to dislike  _all_  members of other species, instead of just the Councilmembers."

"Why Cerberus?"

"Because," said Miranda, accessing another HI and pulling up a specific note that Shepard had forgotten about in her haste to GTFO. "He's planning a coup."

"A coup?!" James' shock was immediate. "Why?!"

"If this hint of a plan leads where I think it does – and I know Cerberus well enough to be willing to bet my life that it does – they're planning on taking over the seat of Galactic government and planting a human at the head. There would be no more Council, there would be only Udina."

"But… Udina's such a whiny  _bitch_ ," said Shepard, almost contemplatively.

"Oh, he wouldn't  _actually_  be in power," said Miranda, deactivating the HI in front of her and standing back from the table. "He would be a puppet."

"Like how the Romans would set up a puppet governor in conquered areas," asked Ashley, drawing on her Earth history.

Miranda nodded. "Precisely. The man behind the curtain, so to speak, would be the Illusive Man. Udina would be his face, leaving him free to pursue things larger than day-to-day governing. He would be in control of the man everyone else thought was in control." She crossed her arms, a look of concentration coming over her features. "He would see the galaxy under human dominion. He would have open war, of course, but if he was in control of the Citadel, the advantage would be squarely his. And given some of the things Cerberus has been experimenting with, he could very well have an army of drug-crazed soldiers to back it."

"Well," said Jack, who had surprisingly been listening, "let's go kill him! The Illusive Shit would have a hard time if we killed his puppet, right?"

"I don't know…" Shepard began, but Miranda silenced her with a hand.

"She's actually right, Shepard, as much as I hate to admit it. We can't prove all this, not in a way that would detain him immediately. And if he's Cerberus' mole, then we need to cut his contact with them before he can give them any more information. I think he needs to die, too. Trust me."

"Let's say we do," said Ashley. "How do you suggest we take the damn human Councilor's office? As much as it's my usual MO, we can't exactly storm the place, guns blazing."

"I actually have an idea," said Steve, breaking his silence. "The ship should dock like normal. If no one knows that you've been extracted from your mission, then…"

* * *

Shepard perked up as he outlined his plan, liking it more and more. They spent an hour hammering out the details, until everyone was happy with it, even Jack, who was never satisfied unless she got to wreak havoc. She dismissed everyone to get some rack time before they got to the Citadel, smirking as James pulled Steve off somewhere. The man was truly insatiable. She rolled her eyes when she considered that they'd probably be doing it in one of the shuttles, as that was about the only place to get any privacy when you weren't the CO or XO.  _Gross_.

"Alright, skipper, spill." Ashley hadn't left the room. Neither had Miranda.

"The fuck are you talking about," she said, having an idea what she meant, but not willing to give up information she didn't need to.

"Commander," cut in Miranda, "did you sleep with the human slave? What's her name?" She considered the datapad she'd been holding the entire meeting. "Specialist Traynor?"

"Samantha. I…" Shepard looked away, not knowing what else to do. She had. A few times. She'd fallen hopelessly in love with the woman. And Liara, though they hadn't yet asked about that one.

"Ha! I knew it!" Ashley was almost gleeful, pulling a small smile even from Miranda. "But," she continued, "what the hell, Commander? You know better than to get involved with your target."

"She wasn't the target," said Shepard defensively.

Ash just scowled a little. "You  _know_  what I mean," she said, hands on hips. "And she seems like someone who's been handed a  _whole_ lot of shit to deal with, being a slave? Having a damn  _kid_  by her owner?!"

Shepard almost laughed, but managed to keep it contained to a single bark. "Funny. That's almost exactly what Diego said when he caught me kissing her…" Ashley's scowl deepened. Shepard sighed. "Look, Ash. I wasn't planning to, alright? It just kinda… happened. She's an amazing woman. Remarkable. What she's been through, and not giving up? And she's got a great kid, who she's a great mom for. I couldn't help it. So I got them out, too."

"Judging by Dr. T'Soni's reactions earlier, and how you put them all in your cabin, you aren't the only one she's involved with," remarked Miranda, raising an eyebrow. Shepard could only look at her and nod. "Right."

"Shepard…" Ash's voice held a warning tone.

"Look, Williams, it happened, alright? Can't change it now. Leave me the fuck alone about it." Shepard's patience was thinning, and she was tired as fuck. And she needed to do a few things, talk to a few people, facilitate a few introductions, before she could  _hope_  to get any sleep. She always seemed to get used to not having anyone under her command when she was on these missions, and tended to let her crew question her more than other Alliance officers because of it.

Ashley narrowed her eyes, but snapped her mouth shut and popped to attention. Shepard sighed. "Sorry, Ash. You're dismissed. I'll figure it out, okay?" Ashley nodded, leaving the room stiffly. Miranda made to follow her, but Shepard stopped her by saying her name.

"Yes, Commander?"

"You've probably figured out that the little boy, Adam, is your brother?" Miranda only nodded, but her eyes gave her away. She had been deeply rocked by this revelation when she'd realized it earlier. "You wanna meet him? Like,  _actually_  meet him?"

"… Yes, Commander. But surely now is not the time?"

"I disagree. C'mon. Don't make me order you." Shepard walked past her with a smirk, leaving Miranda with her mouth agape for a moment before dutifully following her to the elevator.

* * *

Liara and Samantha had both awakened to the sound of their son squealing with delight, playing with Baxter. They now sat on the couch in fresh civilian clothing, sadly still lacking shoes, donated from various members of the crew. They'd left the bed tidy, and now sat together watching the play, luxuriating in their freedom. They'd just floated down from joining minds, sharing their thoughts and feelings about their escape. Samantha knew that Liara was proud of her, and thought it was fitting that Samantha was the one to make the final shot. Liara knew that the bastard had deserved it, especially after learning what he'd been shouting at them. Neither regretted it. They each almost wished they could have stretched out his suffering. given the years of torture they'd endured at his hands. But, in the end, they were each glad that they were out, with no chance of him coming back. He was dead, and they were safe, all three of them, as well as Steve, their dear, dear friend.

Samantha sat tucked into Liara's shoulder, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other hand caressing her now-unadorned throat and collarbone. She would have a scar from the shrapnel, but neither minded – she would bear it like a medal. She had certainly earned it, with turmoil and hardship.

This was the scene Shepard interrupted when she re-entered her cabin. She couldn't help but smile, seeing Baxter and Adam's play, Sam and Liara simply allowed to  _be_ , to sit and watch the boy, like a normal family. She felt a sudden pang of guilt, stepping in on it, making things more complicated by getting involved with them. But, as always, the guilt was easy to bury when, after looking up to see it was her, they both launched themselves from the couch and into her arms. She smiled, bracing herself against the two shorter women, one in each arm, each hugging her fiercely as she held them close to her. They had both come to mean so much to her.

"Lola!" Adam had gotten up from the floor. They didn't have clothing that would fit him, so he'd remained in his things from the estate, also going barefoot, which suited him just fine. It had occurred to her that they boy had probably never worn shoes in his life. He walked to her as well, the two women pulling away as he approached, letting Shepard scoop him up and hug him close.

She addressed Samantha over Adam's shoulder. "Samantha. I have someone for you, and, more importantly, Adam, to meet. Miranda Lawson." She let the name sink in. Samantha's eyes got wide, fearful. "It's okay. She would have done the deed if you hadn't. I promise. She wants to meet her brother." Sam's eyes softened a little. She let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding when Liara took her hand for reassurance.

"Hello," said Miranda, stepping hesitantly through the door. "I'm Miranda."

"Ms. Lawson –" Samantha started to speak, but Miranda cut her off with a raised hand.

"Please. I understand that that name will be painful for you. My father was a cruel man. Please call me Miranda."

"Yes," she said, sighing in relief. "Miranda. I'm Samantha Traynor. You…" She considered for a moment, then moved forward to take her son from Shepard's arms, Shepard and Liara quickly moving to stand in front of the aquarium, out of the way. Miranda noticed them clasp hands gently, affectionately.

"This is your brother, Adam," Samantha said, snapping Miranda's eyes back to her and the boy. She could see how he resembled their father, but rejoiced in the fact that he had gotten his mother's soft features, chocolate eyes, and coffee-colored skin. The woman was beautiful. She could see why Shepard would be enchanted. And, unfortunately, she could see why her father would purchase the woman. She fought the urge to frown at the thought, not wanting either boy or mother to think she was frowning at them.

"Adam," she said, holding out a hand. "I'm Miranda. I'm your sister." He eyed her warily.

"I'm sorry," said Samantha, shifting him to be on her hip. "He's never actually  _shaken_  anyone's hand before…"

"Oh," said Miranda, putting her hand down. "Well, I imagine you wouldn't have had many opportunities to introduce him to new people…"

An awkward pause.

Followed by Baxter shoving his nose right into Miranda's unsuspecting hand, causing her to shriek. Adam laughed and slid down, catching Baxter by the collar and dragging him away.

It worked to break the tension, however.

* * *

Shepard was pleasantly surprised when Liara took her hand. They stood side-by-side watching Sam and Miranda awkwardly meet, both biting their tongues to keep from intervening. It was almost painful, until Baxter decided to try to ingratiate himself, once again, to the woman who had so far only called him a "slobbery brute." Henry Lawson had clearly never allowed  _her_  a dog, either. They both laughed, and it broke through the tension.

"Jane," Liara said in a quiet voice. "Why don't we leave them alone with Adam and Baxter? I have a feeling that you'd like to debrief me more than you were able to earlier."

Shepard looked down at her, smiling. "Good idea. And you're right, we should really go into more detail about why I was sent to rescue you." She addressed the two women in front of them as Adam led the dog back into the middle of the room. "We're gonna leave you two kids alone. I've gotta debrief Dr. T'Soni. Miranda, you know how to contact me when you need me, yeah?" At Miranda's nod, she led Liara out of the room by the hand.

"So, you getting used to my  _actual_  name?"

"Yes," said Liara, looking coyly over at her without turning her head. "I like 'Lola,' too. Though I suppose I should call you 'Commander' on your ship?"

"I don't know. This is… new territory. I've never had a lover on the ship with me before." Shepard reached up to run a hand through her too-long hair. She couldn't wait to cut it all off. She itched for her hat, having become used to wearing it, but it had been lost, along with her mandolin and everything else she'd brought with her, during their escape. She mentally kicked herself for that one – the first time she'd brought her grandfather's mandolin on a mission (instead of another she liked less) was the one time she'd had to leave without warning and lost it, the one thing left from Mindoir. Maybe once they'd dealt with Udina, she could visit Filebar and retrieve it.

"So I'm your lover now, am I," Liara asked in a teasing tone, entering the elevator. "I don't recall agreeing to this."

Shepard's face fell. If she hadn't just been feeling so guilty about her intrusion into Sam and Liara's relationship, she might have been able to jump into the joking and teasing. But as it was, the guilt came rushing back, and she dropped Liara's hand. "I just meant that I've never had someone aboard who isn't a member of my crew…"

Liara sensed the change in Shepard's demeanor, shocked when her hand was dropped. She looked up into her face, seeing the guilt, the fallen features, the eyes that wouldn't hold her gaze. She narrowed her own eyes, reaching up with both hands to force Shepard to look at her. "Don't you dare," she said in a hard voice. "Do not let your doubts seize you! You have awakened things within me… I love you, Jane Shepard. I love Samantha Traynor, as well. And I love Adam. Do not pull away from us now that you are with your people again." Her features softened, allowing a bit of her own insecurity to enter. "I do not think I could bear it, after I've just found you." Her voice drifted to a mere whisper as she spoke.

It was like stoking a fire in Shepard's chest, the possessiveness that claimed her during sex flaring to life at Liara's words, along with affection and a very strong protectiveness. She charged forward, taking Liara up in her arms, pressing their lips together with bruising force. She pulled back after a moment, still holding her tight, panting lightly. "I promise I'll try. And I'll try not to let my qualms keep me from you. If you'll have me, then I want you. You  _and_  Sam." She caressed a blue cheek, leaning in for a much more tender kiss.

"Shepard," came EDI's voice.

Shepard sighed and hung her head. "Yes, EDI?"

"I did not want to interrupt your private moment, however, the elevator is needed by other members of the crew."

She sighed again. "Fine." She pulled away from Liara fully, but kept ahold of her hand. "Take us down to the crew deck. We need to talk to Chakwas."

"Chakwas," asked Liara as the elevator began to move.

"Yeah, the doctor. She had some interesting things to tell me about Adam. Then you and I need to discuss your rescue."


	10. Chapter 10

"So, Adam is empathic?"

"So it would seem," responded the doctor, handing Liara a datapad so she could look at the results herself.

"But… I have never heard of a human with the ability. Asari, yes, but it is something that eludes the other races."

"It isn't  _completely_  unheard of within humans, though he would be the first  _scientifically_  confirmed case. Our history has plenty of examples, but they're all from before Humanity encountered a race that could explain it scientifically. This is why I wanted to speak with you about it. I know you're not a medical doctor, but you're asari, and you might have some insight."

"Well, Doctor," said Liara, examining the datapad critically with her crystal blue eyes. "I can confirm your theory. Instead of gaining biotics – which, of course, he may, and we just haven't seen it yet – the Element Zero Henry Lawson exposed Samantha to during her pregnancy has caused innate empathic abilities. And it explains something that happened earlier, right before we left the planet."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Adam awoke from a deep sleep worried for Jane- the Commander. He  _knew_  something had happened."

"And what  _had_  happened?"

"The alarm sounded, revealing that Lawson knew she'd been in the database. It was the catalyst for our escape. I would be willing to bet that he woke up at the exact moment of the alarm." Liara shifted her gaze from the doctor to Shepard, who was standing just on the other side of the window, speaking with Officer Williams. "It also explains why he is such a conscientious child. I am told he is not like most human boys, even when in isolation with so many women."

"I see," said Chakwas, not missing the way Liara gazed upon her commander. "Well, otherwise, Specialist Traynor has kept him quite healthy. My only suggestion is to keep up regular check-ups, to monitor the Eezo exposure, and perhaps some therapy – if I recall, he may have actually  _witnessed_  that horrible man's destruction?" Liara nodded as she looked back to Chakwas. "Right, well, when this is all over, I recommend all four of you seek professional help, but  _especially_  you. Specialist Traynor and Lieutenant Cortez will be getting a full psyche evaluation from the Alliance, and the boy by extension, but you have no such allegiance."

"I agree. After I speak with my mother, I will seek professional help. A Meld or two with a trained psychologist should more than suffice."

"Really," asked Chakwas, shocked. "That's all it takes?" Liara nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Remarkable."

"If we're through, Doctor, I believe I need to speak to the Commander before we arrive at our destination."

"Yes, of course, Doctor T'Soni. Thank you for your time and expertise."

Liara exited the med bay just as Ashley walked away from Shepard.

"Hey, Liara. Everything alright in there?"

"Yes," she replied, accepting Shepard's one-armed hug and peck on her temple. "She wanted confirmation that Adam is an Empath. Confirmation I provided."

"Wow, so she was right? Damn. No wonder he's so good at wrapping us around his little finger."

Liara's brow furrowed in confusion. "'Wrapped around his finger'?"

Shepard smiled, releasing her embrace of the asari. "It's a human saying. It just means that we all love him to pieces and would do anything for him."

"I see. Well, it is true. Even  _I_  was punished more than he ever has been, and I was the model of the obedient child."

"Oh yeah? That why you're so wild in bed, T'Soni? Lashing out from a stifling childhood?" Shepard's voice came to her very low, almost a growl, one that no one else could have heard, causing her face to flush a deep, deep blue. She slapped Shepard's shoulder in reply, causing Shepard to laugh as they made their way back to the conference room.

* * *

Miranda's world had been thoroughly rocked when she'd realized that Henry Lawson had fathered the young boy who was with the woman Shepard had saved. She realized it in a rapid succession of realizations: Filebar was one of the few places in the galaxy where humans were allowed to settle  _and_  owning slaves was legal, this woman was a slave, her father had been forcing himself on her, and it had resulted in a small boy. A small boy who was her brother. Her heart had stopped, sinking immediately to her midsection. Anger flared through her first, anger at her father for causing so much pain all around. When he'd ridden up shouting such awful things, and threatening that beautiful little boy, the anger had doubled, followed by a vicious protectiveness, allowing her to produce a stasis field on par with Liara's. Had Samantha not walked up right at that moment and finished the job, Henry Lawson's body would have been ripped into so many pieces that no one would have been able to identify him.

"It is bizarre that my brother's mother is actually younger than I am." Miranda now sat on the couch in the Nest, swirling wine in a glass before taking another sip. After they'd been left alone, Miranda had decided that Shepard wouldn't mind her breaking into her reserves. She'd been the one to stock the liquor cabinet in the first place. She thought the woman would agree that it could only help the situation, and it had. Now they sat speaking while Adam continued to play with the dog.

"Yes, well, I don't think much about this situation resembles anything like 'normal,'" said Samantha. Her face was flushed, though it would take a skilled observer to notice. She hadn't had anything to eat since the estate, and she hadn't had a drink in five years. But it had helped ease the tension. Still, perhaps she shouldn't have any more wine until she'd had something to eat. She set the glass down, turning down a refill.

"This is an excellent point," Miranda replied. Samantha hadn't known what to think of her at first. Miranda was Lawson's daughter. She'd feared at first that she'd be angry, vengeful, but after hearing her story, Samantha understood that she wasn't – she was far more regretful that Samantha had gone through so much pain at the man's hands. She'd said she felt guilty, because if she'd had the foresight to just take him out earlier, she wouldn't have had to deal with Cerberus, they wouldn't have caused so much pain in the galaxy, and Samantha would have been free from his torment.

Samantha considered her for a moment. The woman was gorgeous, slim yet leanly muscled, with silky black hair, and large breasts and hips. But she was so  _stiff_. Samantha was not used to anyone being so polite and formal with her. She was used to people taking what they wanted from her, preferring that she didn't even speak while they did so. Even Shepard hadn't been so uncomfortable around her, though she  _had_  been perfectly cordial. Liara and Steve couldn't afford to dance around her – they had been forced to run the estate together. Steve had even shown her deference, as she'd been there much longer than he had, and clearly knew how to run that estate in the most efficient manner.

But Miranda was polite, uncomfortable, and didn't know how to speak to her, almost as if she was intimidated. She was not used to the treatment. The wine had helped her loosen up, allowed them to talk. But she noticed that she was still nursing her first glass. She wondered if the woman ever indulged in  _anything_.

"Do you have any idea what you will do now that you're no longer captive?" Miranda's question caught her off guard. She looked up at her with wide eyes, unsure of how to respond. She hadn't thought about it. It had only been, what, ten hours since her freedom had been secured?

"I don't know. I imagine the Alliance will want a full debriefing. I need to find out if my parents survived the attack on our colony. There are so  _many_  things that are a concern now that never have been with Adam. He'll need to be in school…"

Miranda cut her off before she could go any further. "I didn't mean to panic you, Samantha. You should take time to consider everything. I simply wanted to know if you had a place to stay while you began the process." Samantha shook her head, her eyes showing her clear dismay. "While I believe the Alliance would provide you with quarters on the Citadel, I have an apartment that I want you to use. It has space, and it would be better for you and Adam."

"Oh, I couldn't impose-"

Miranda held up a hand. "Please, I insist. I am not using it. It could use someone who knows how to make it a home."

"Alright," said Samantha, feeling a little relieved. "It's all so much. I haven't had to concern myself with these things in so long. I'm not complaining, I would much rather have my freedom, but I haven't had to take care of myself in  _years_. And this time around, I have a son." She sighed. "To know I'll have help is… Well, thank you, Miranda. It means more than I can possibly say."

"You're welcome, but thanks is not necessary. I take care of my family, much as you take care of yours. That my family just got bigger by a factor of two does nothing to change that."

"Factor of two?"

"Yes, I… have a sister. A twin, though she is younger than either of us. She… was created in much the same way as I was. I rescued her as very small child, a baby, really. She is now safe on Earth, under Alliance surveillance. It is much better than what I had done for her before." At Samantha's questioning look, she fully explained what had happened with Cerberus and Shepard. She was not used to opening up and sharing her secrets, but Miranda needed people in her life. Her isolation with Cerberus had made that abundantly clear. With her father dead, she now had the freedom to make connections, ones that he could not use against her.

When she was through, they sat in amiable silence, watching Adam. After a few minutes, he noticed them watching him and came up to his mother, claiming to be hungry. She looked questioningly to Miranda.

"I could go get something," she said, making to leave the couch. "Or, if you're ready to emerge, I could take you to the mess."

"I think I can take it. I may have been held captive, but I haven't been a complete recluse." Miranda smiled and headed for the elevator, followed by Samantha with Adam in her arms.

* * *

Steve grunted his release, losing himself in the glorious nothingness that followed an orgasm. He was guided back to reality by strong arms embracing him. He opened his eyes as James pulled him to his shoulder, keeping an arm around him. He smiled up at him, taking a deep breath and releasing it.

"Diego – or would you prefer 'James'?"

James chuckled. "Esteban, you can call me whatever you like."

Steve smiled. "Well, then, Diego. You are an amazing man. And excellent in bed. Even without a bed.  _Te quiero_. "

" _Yo_ _también_. You sure you're okay with all this?"

"All of what?"

James sighed. "You know, the lying and sneaking around. I'm sorry I couldn't be honest with you when we first met."

"Hey, I'm an Alliance man. I get it. You were on a mission. Until your cover was blown, you didn't know how long you'd be snooping around with Lola – excuse me, Shepard. You broke some serious regs by getting with me at all. I trust you."

"Man, see? This is why I  _broke_  those regs to begin with."

"Oh? Not because I'm a sexy, dashing Latin boy?"

James grinned. "Well, that, too." His expression grew contemplative. "Also something Adam said, actually."

"What'd he say?"

"He said that you were lonely. And that you needed someone to love you." He smiled fondly as he looked at Steve. "Someone else besides him."

Steve chuckled. "That boy is pretty intuitive. Yes, I  _have_  been lonely. My husband died in the attack on our colony that I was captured in, Diego. And then I was a slave. That boy guided me out of a pretty severe depression. I'm grateful – that allowed me to flirt with _you_. And now we're here, and I get to be his  _tío Esteban_ , and Sam and Liara get to be together without the awful things our… Lawson would put them through. As I understand it," he continued, "Shepard involved herself in that?"

James grunted. "Yeah. Lola is more of a lady-killer than  _I_  am. Still, it seems different this time. She really cares about them, and Adam. I've never thought she'd be a family-person, but this? I dunno. I guess we'll see."

"Well, I hope you don't mind me saying, but if she hurts any one of them, I'll shoot her. This experience has made us family. You don't mess with my family."

 _I don't doubt it_ , thought James, his eyes getting heavy. They fell asleep together on the hard floor of the shuttle, a thin, regulation blanket all that was between their naked bodies and the cold metal.

* * *

"So the Alliance found artifacts in the Mars archives, and came to the Council for a Prothean expert. That's what led to humans being involved in my rescue?"

"Yeah," said Shepard, standing back against the wall while Liara scrolled through the data she'd provided for her perusal. "Turns out that Benezia had already tracked down your location, but they needed a human to infiltrate – no alien would be able to do it, not with Lawson being a human supremacist."

"I see. I'm glad to know that she's been looking for me. We had not spoken for fifteen years when I was captured. I was not sure she would even know I was taken captive."

"She did. She told me she hadn't spoken to you in years, but she made a point of keeping tabs on you – you're her daughter, Liara. She loves you."

Liara felt a tear prickle her eye, blinking it away rapidly. She and her mother had not had a smooth relationship since before Liara decided to go to University at such a young age. While most of her childhood classmates went on to experience the galaxy, joining mercenary bands and dancing in clubs, she had opted to go to University 100 years younger than most. She had subsequently had very few friends, being as young as she was, and little romantic experience (a chaste kiss or two). These two things continued to vex her mother, and after she had chosen to devote herself to studying the Protheans, they had stopped speaking. They simply could no longer have a conversation without arguing about something, whether her topic of study, her lack of lovers, her lack of friends outside of professional colleagues, or, upon occasion, the identity of her asari father. The last time they had spoken, her mother had hung up on her when that particular question had popped up.

"I knew it intellectually, I suppose," said Liara, breaking a brief silence. "But that didn't stop doubts from seeping in. Now I learn that not only was she keeping tabs on me, but that she had me rescued? Well, I cannot thank you enough, Shepard."

Shepard came to her, wrapping her in strong arms. "You and your family are safe, Liara. You can introduce them to your mother, and build a life."

"Only if you are a part of it, too," she said into Shepard's chest, the sound slightly muffled by the fabric of Shepard's casual military shirt.

Shepard smiled and kissed the top of Liara's crest. "Deal."

* * *

Shepard and Liara emerged from the elevator on the crew deck, both hoping for something to eat. As they rounded the corner into the mess hall, they spotted Samantha, Adam, and Miranda at a table, Sam and Adam both eating a rations pack with gusto.

"I gotta say," said Shepard as they approached the table. "I may have gotten spoiled by your cooking, Samantha."

"Yes, this does not look what I would call appetizing," chimed in Liara, eyeing their food suspiciously.

"I beg to differ," said Samantha, placing her fork on the tray next to her rehydrated eggs and sausage and standing to greet first Liara and then Shepard. After hugging them both and sitting back down, she continued. "Very much like the bad coffee, it is  _familiar_ , from so long staying at an Alliance base and eating in their cafeterias. And I do not have to clean afterwards. Therefore, it is one of the most delicious meals I have had in  _years_."

Liara smiled, considering the scene before her. It would be their first meal in freedom. She wondered how many 'firsts' they would be able to tack that description onto. Not lovemaking yet, but she intended to fix that at their earliest convenience.

"How did everything go," asked Shepard, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting down. She'd given up on being able to sleep.

"Well, thank you," replied Samantha, digging back in to her meal. "Miranda mentioned the plan. The human Councilor is the one who blew your cover?"

Shepard scowled at Miranda. Miranda merely shrugged. "Yes. We're headed to the Citadel to sort it out. We'll be there in about four hours."

"I see. And what would the answer be if I asked to be part of your ground team?"

"No." Shepard set her mug down and glared. "You're to stay on the ship – both of you – and watch Adam." Her glare softened. "I'm not losing you after I just got you safe."

Miranda watched silently. There was something between all three women in front of her. Liara and Samantha were in an established relationship, and judging by the way Adam now sat in Liara's lap, she was a second mother to the boy. But Shepard's clear affection for each of them shone through the way she spoke to and acted toward them. And Adam had thrown himself into her arms, right after both Liara and Samantha had done the same. Her family was getting stranger by the second. She smiled at the thought.

* * *

Baxter was waiting for them patiently when they re-entered the cabin – he was lolling on the bed, having made himself a doggy-nest with the once-pristine bedcovers. At their entrance, he got up and sat on the floor, head bowed guiltily, tail wagging hopefully. Shepard didn't even notice. In one hand, she held Liara's hand, their fingers interlaced. The other hand, and the arm attached, was wrapped quite tightly around Samantha's waist, supporting her weight, holding her up above the floor, using her height and muscular frame to good advantage. James and Steve had emerged from the shuttle bay, taken Adam, and insisted the three adults go get some "rest." Who was she to refuse the suggestion? Liara and Samantha had both blushed deeply, but Shepard had only grinned, grabbing them both by the hand and hauling them toward the elevator. It had elicited a giggle from them both, at least. Miranda had just rolled her eyes.

Once in the elevator, Shepard had grabbed Samantha and kissed her like she was oxygen and Shepard had been suffocating. Her hands had immediately found Samantha's ass and hoisted her up, pinning her against the wall of the elevator, her knees gripping Shepard's hips. She then tore open Samantha's shirt, eliciting a yelp from the woman, and feasted on her breasts until the elevator had stopped.

So she didn't notice Baxter's guilty stance, nor did she notice the fur on the white comforter. She simply deposited Samantha on the bed and turned to lavish some attention on Liara. Baxter, sure he was to remain unpunished, slunk up to the desk and curled up underneath it to go back to sleep.

* * *

_She dreamed of blood._

_There was so much blood._

_Blood appeared from between her legs for the first time. Her mother held her as she cried, a pain she'd never felt before in her gut, the painkillers not yet setting in._

_Later, blood stained the sheet of her first, and only, boyfriend's bed. It had been an underwhelming experience. He rolled over and fell asleep. She left and never called him again, avoiding him at school until he forced a confrontation._

_Blood covered her hands as she cradled her face, crying and crying, sitting with the other beaten wretches who had been kidnapped from her colony._

_Blood trickled from a welt under her eye, the sting from a backhanded blow still alive and well as he pushed her over a desk and pressed his way inside of her._

_A blood-covered baby cried for her attention as soon as he emerged from the womb._

_Her blood filled her face, making it red and hot, as she experienced her first kiss with the blue-skinned woman who would heal all her hurts._

_She could feel the blood of her new lover beating against her own skin whenever they were pressed together, naked and writhing._

_Her blood pounded loudly in her ears as she raised the pistol, pointing it at her tormenter._

_Blood sprayed the ground underneath Henry Lawson as she shot him in the head._

_Blood._

_So much blood._


	11. Chapter 11

"What did Momma mean when she said I was your brother," asked Adam, padding barefoot over to Miranda. He didn't know how it all worked.

Steve was the one to answer him, calling over from the card table, where he and James sat playing a game. "Her dad was also your dad, buddy."

"Momma shot my father." It was a statement of fact.

Before Miranda could even react, Steve was up and scooping the boy into his arms. He sat down with him on his knee next to Miranda on the sofa.

"You know why she did that, right?" Adam looked up into his face. No, he didn't. He'd watched it happen, and it had shown up again in his dreams, while he slept on Lola's bed, next to his mother. He hadn't been scared, though – he'd felt relief, and  _pride_  in his mother. "It was to protect you. Your father… he wasn't a nice man. In fact, he was very mean." Adam knew that. His presence filled him with fear. He knew that his mother hated being around him. Liara, too. His presence filled them all with fear, and loathing. The man was an enigma, a hard, cold stranger, always looking at him as though he were a roach scurrying along the floor, if he even looked Adam's way at all. "He didn't love your momma, and he didn't take care of you or her. He was going to hurt you, because that would hurt your momma. The only thing she could think to do was grab Lola's gun and keep him from doing that to you."

Adam looked at Steve for a long time. His father had wanted to hurt his mother, and was going hurt him to do so. He was a bad man, a cruel man, willing to do any evil to get his way. Miranda sat next to them, eyes wide. He could feel the fear coming off of her. He was only now beginning to distinguish when an emotion was  _his_ , and when it was coming from someone else. He also was starting to see that his ability was unique. He didn't know it, but he couldn't make that distinction  _at all_  with his mother and Liara. They were his world, and he felt as the two of them felt. But Miranda was scared. Maybe… Maybe he could help her?

"Did he hurt  _your_  momma?"

"I… don't have a mother. He never let me know her." A harmless lie, in the grand scheme of things, one he would find out not too many years later. "But he was cruel to me growing up. I left because he didn't care for me, or my sister."

Adam perked up at that. He had  _two_  sisters? "So you and me have a sister?"

Miranda smiled, relieved at the change of subject. "Yes. When we get to the Citadel, you can meet her. Would you like that?"

Adam nodded. He had successfully assuaged her fears, though he hadn't the foggiest  _how_. He just knew that his words usually did that for people, maybe because he knew how they were feeling.

He climbed down off of Steve's lap then, suddenly much more interested in the stars outside. He'd never been in space before, though his mother had told him all about it. Before Lola came, they would sometimes sit at the window and look at the stars. She'd told him that the old sailors on Earth – another planet, like Filebar, where her parents were born – would make shapes out of the stars, using the shapes to navigate during different times of the year, and telling stories about some of the shapes to pass the time. Much like she would do for him. They began to do so themselves, his mother drawing him pictures of the creatures he'd never seen, the ones she named shapes in the stars for, like tigers, dogs, and snakes. He wondered if they were going to Earth in this ship. He would very much like to meet his mother's parents.

He looked out, not recognizing any of the star-shapes. He idly wondered why, but was distracted by the soft blue lights engulfing the ship from time-to-time as they traveled at FTL speeds. He watched out the window for a long time, unaware of the adults talking about him, only feeling their wonder as they watched him take it all in stride.

* * *

The plan was simple, really, though that didn't make it easy. The shuttle was to dock at one of the private shuttle garages in the Wards and submit to C-Sec there. Meanwhile, the Normandy would land, her crew acting as though nothing were amiss. Shepard's team on the shuttle consisted of all unlisted personnel, namely herself, James, Steve, Miranda, and Jack – the first three's presence on her ship being unknown to Alliance Command, and the last two not Alliance at all, and therefore not in the ship's manifest. Ash would rendezvous with them at the Council chambers after seeking out some friends of theirs.

This was the plan, at least. Making it happen without C-Sec realizing the frigate was dropping a military-class shuttle wasn't going to be easy, though. The timing had to be just right – military frigates didn't just drop a shuttle while docking at a space station that was also the seat of Galactic governing. In addition, they had to fool scanners – military shuttles had a much higher power output than any civilian vehicle. They would basically have to drift their way to the hangar, using only steering thrusters, in order to keep their output low enough to fool scanners into thinking they were a civilian shuttle. Once they landed, they shouldn't have any trouble – the shuttle was painted to be unobtrusive, as it would have been the shuttle used to extract her quietly from her mission had shit not hit the fan in such a spectacular way.

Shepard laced up her combat boots, standing and adjusting her belt while looking over to the bed. She caught Liara's eyes on her, surprised – she'd thought she'd been asleep. "Hey," she said to her, walking over silently.

"Is it already time," Liara asked in a whisper, hoping to not wake Samantha. The poor woman had been through quite a lot in the last 20 hours; she did not need to see their new lover preparing for battle.

"Almost. I have to get down to the shuttle, get my gear. How you holding up?"

"I am fine, Jane. I am more worried about you." She got out of the bed as softly as she could, coming on bare feet to stand before the tall, redheaded woman with the impossibly green eyes. She smiled coyly at the look she got, having walked from the bed to Shepard in all her naked glory. She reached up with one hand, cupping a cheek, watching as Shepard's expression turn from lust to affection, turning her face into the touch, kissing her palm. Her lips were warm, leaving the tiniest hint of moisture behind.

"I'll be fine, Liara," Shepard said, wending her arms around her waist, pulling her still-naked body close. She ducked in for a kiss, her pink lips capturing Liara's blue ones delicately, her tongue darting out, suckling her bottom lip gently before letting go. She reluctantly pulled away completely.

"I have to go get ready. Wanna come with me to fetch Adam?"

Liara only nodded, going to find her clothing, following Shepard out of the room once she was dressed, leaving Samantha sleeping peacefully in the bed. As an afterthought, Shepard called Baxter. He was unlisted in their manifest, too.

* * *

Liara entered the Captain's cabin with Adam in tow, holding his hand as he walked next to her. Samantha was still lying on her stomach in bed, apparently asleep. She let him go as the door shut. He padded softly over to the bed, coming to the side his mother was facing and placing his hand upon her cheek, smiling down at her. Knowing what she now knew about his ability to sense and channel the emotions of others, his smile warmed Liara's heart even more, knowing that it meant his mother was happy, at peace.

Samantha's eyes came open at the touch of her son's hand. "Oh, hello, baby," she said, shifting, turning on her side, one arm keeping the blanket in place. Liara was noticing that Samantha was becoming less comfortable with Adam seeing her body. It was strange to her, as she was the boy's mother, and children were always with their mothers. Nudity was not taboo in asari culture, but she was vaguely aware that it was for most humans. She would need to ask her lover about it.

"Hi, Momma. I was looking at the stars earlier, with  _tío_ Steve. I was looking for the star-shapes, but I couldn't find any."

She shifted more, tucking the sheet firmly in place before pulling him onto her lap.  _I'm not going to be able to do this with him for much longer_. "That's because we're not looking at it from the same perspective, Adam." He only looked back in confusion. She thought for a moment. "You know how big the trees are when you look at them up-close? But when you see them from far away, you tell me they look like broccoli?" He nodded. "And when you look up at them from underneath, they don't look the same at all, right?" Again, he nodded. "Well, when we move, it looks different. Distance and perspective – where you're looking at it from – does that. It's similar with the stars."

"Oh. Okay." That was apparently enough of an explanation, as he then pushed himself up and off, wandering over to the model ship Shepard had let him play with earlier.

Liara closed the distance between herself and the bed, Samantha's clothes in-hand. "You always explain things to him so calmly and patiently. I wish my mother had been like that."

Samantha accepted her clothing, getting dressed as best she could without exposing herself for long. She then moved to tidy the bed, Liara automatically helping from the other side – this was a chore that was second nature to them both at this point. "You haven't said anything about your coming reunion with her." It was a simple statement, but there were several questions buried within it.

"I do not know how to feel. It is… comforting to know that she was searching for me all that time. But I fear our problems will not have disappeared. The time I was missing may have changed her, but she has lived a long life – I do not see a decade having that much influence upon all the time that came before it."

"Surely she won't cause any fights about the things that bothered her before?" They finished making the bed, going instead to sit on the sofa.

As they sat, Liara leaned her head on Samantha's shoulder. "I do not know anything, love. I am a different person – I cannot judge her based only on the observations and memories I have. Those were made by a person who seems so naïve and childish to me now. Perhaps my view of my mother will change as much as I, myself, have changed."

Samantha wrapped an arm around Liara, pulling her in tightly, protectively. They sat this way for several moments before she spoke up once more. "If my parents are alive, will you come with me and Adam to see them?"

"You would not be able to keep me away," Liara responded, sitting up and smiling. "You think, after all this, I would abandon you now?"

Samantha blushed and momentarily looked away. "I think perhaps we'll need to explore our relationship further, now that we're outside of our bondage. I find myself unsure of the future. I haven't let myself think about it for quite some time. Will we live together? Get married? Have more children? Should you adopt Adam as your own? And I can't even  _begin_  to see how Shepard will figure into all of it." She sat, cross-legged, on the sofa, facing Liara, sideways upon her seat.

Liara took both her hands, looking into her eyes. "Do not worry so, love. We are free. I have you, and I want to continue to be with you, for as long as you will have me. Adam may as well be my own son, I love him so. And we are blessed enough to have the love of another for both of us, and she clearly adores Adam, as well. The rest will fall into place." She smiled, knowing her own words were true. "In the meantime, I say we enjoy modern conveniences like vids and no chores."

Samantha smiled. "Agreed. What was the AI's name again? Ellen? Emily?"

"I am called EDI, though that is an acronym for Enhanced Defense Intelligence." A holographic sphere had popped up on a panel next to the aquarium. "What was it that you needed, Specialist Traynor?"

Samantha's face flushed once more. "'Samantha' is fine, EDI, thank you." At Liara's quizzical look, she explained. "My title with the Alliance, before I was captured, was Communications Specialist. It would still be in the system with my ID. EDI, can you recommend something for us to watch with my son? He's never seen a vid before…"

* * *

"Alright Commander, we're free of the ship." Shepard stepped up to stand behind Steve's seat, acknowledging his report with a hand on his shoulder. He had only needed fifteen minutes to familiarize himself completely with the vehicle, and was now directing their drift toward the nearest Ward.

As they drifted, she considered her ground team, all dressed in civvies, all with undetectable weaponry of some sort, whether biotics, a hidden hunting knife (in hers and Steve's cases), powerful fists (that one saved for James), or jaws strong enough to break bones (Baxter, of course).

Miranda and Jack had something going between them. They were both resentful as shit, but seemed to have come to an understanding. They weren't friendly, but they fought together  _incredibly_  well.  _I give it another week until they're fucking_ , she thought, smirking to herself.

James sat next to Jack, comparing tattoos. He always had been simple – not stupid, not ignorant, just a man of simple pleasures. He liked to eat, drink, play cards, Shoot his gun, play his guitar, and fuck. He liked to do all of these things with other people. He also supremely enjoyed a bucking bronco or bull riding at a rodeo. She hadn't been expecting him to develop serious feelings for someone, but he even did  _that_  in a laid-back kind of way – he simply loved Steve, nothing else complicating it for him, no embarrassment, no hang-ups. And Steve seemed to be the same, at least in regards to Diego.

"EDI," said Shepard, opening one final communication with the Normandy, letting her musings on her crew fall away. "Make sure there's no hint of our little adventure on Filebar in any accessible records, and make sure we're not listed on the manifest. And make any video footage of us accessible only by my rank or above."

"Yes, Commander. This communication will now be permanently severed." That was their signal – no more comm. time with the ship. They were on their own until Ash met them at the appointed time. They had one hour.

* * *

" _SSV Normandy, you have clearance to dock_ ," said the woman at the dock assigned specifically to the Alliance.

"Roger," said Joker. He cut off the comms. "If only they knew what was about to go down."

"Shut your pie-hole, Joker," said Ashley, standing behind him with her arms crossed, one hip jutted to the side. She remained there as they approached the station, Joker looking over his shoulder every once in a while to see if she was still there. She smirked every time, finally punching his shoulder.

"Ow! Hey! I'm breakable, you know!"

"Shut it, Joker, I pulled that punch. Quit yer bitchin'." She turned and exited the bridge, ready to meet the Alliance officer she knew would be checking up on them. Decontamination never took long, but it always took longer than she thought it should. Finally, the door in front of her opened, revealing a surly officer with short-cropped hair under his little hat.

She saluted, even though on the ship she outranked him. "SSV Normandy, reporting to the Citadel for refueling and restocking, sir," she said.

He regarded her for a moment. "Records say your CO is Commander Shepard. You her?" He hadn't released her from her salute.  _So, you're one of_ _those_ _assholes? Self-important pretty-boy. You're not even that pretty_.

"No, sir. Lieutenant-Commander Ashley Williams, Executive Officer of the SSV Normandy, sir."

"Right. And where's your CO? I wanna see her."

Was this asshole serious? "She's not on board, sir." The records would show that. Why did he think she was? "We're awaiting extraction orders. She's under-cover currently."

"Where's she at?"

Okay. Something was definitely wrong. Any Alliance  _grunt_  would know she couldn't say that, even if she knew, not unless an Admiral or higher was asking her. She considered him for a moment from her position saluting him and made a decision. In one swift move, she took a step forward, her knee coming into his gut. As he let out an "oof" and doubled-over, her saluting arm came down, crashing her elbow into the back of his head, doubling him over further. Her knee came back up, breaking his nose with a sickening  _crack_.

"Ash?" Joker's face appeared. "Did you just beat up the inspection officer?" His face was horrified, clearly showing that he thought she was giving their less-than-honorable intentions away.

Ashley didn't even respond. When his face popped up from her knee, she grabbed his uniform jacket and yanked, sprawling him onto the ground in a daze. "EDI, shut the damn door. Don't let anyone in until I say so." The door shut as she straddled the man, searching his pockets. She didn't find anything. He was starting to recover. As his hands began to paw at her, she rolled her eyes, grabbed her pistol, and pistol-whipped his head, knocking him out cold.

By that point, several crewmen had run up. She ordered them to search him thoroughly and throw him in the brig. Chakwas could treat his broken nose if she wanted, but Ashley wasn't supremely concerned.

"What the Hell was that, Ash?" Joker was on his feet now, limping over to her.

"He's not Alliance. I don't know what the Hell he was thinking, but he gave himself up in a big way by asking for Shepard."

"Oh?"

"He wanted to know where she was working under-cover. And before that, he seemed to think she was onboard."

"Ouch. Dumbass. But how'd he know?" He looked at her for a minute. "You've, uh, got some blood on you. Might wanna clean it up before you go out." He limped back to the pilot's seat, chuckling as Ashley swore and ran in search of a mirror.

* * *

"Williams, ma'am!" The shout was from nearby. She whipped around, having just finished dabbing the not-Alliance man's blood off her face and putting her bun back in order, to see Kaidan, an eager ensign who showed a lot of promise. She'd been groundside with him a couple of times. He was a talented engineer, and his biotics packed a wallop. Wasn't too bad with an assault rifle, either. He was also kind and sensitive, and clearly had the hots for Shepard. Then again, she didn't know anyone who didn't – even  _she_  thought the woman had it going on, and women weren't her usual thing.

"You got news, Alenko?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, coming to a halt.

"You're aware of the comms?"

His tanned face flushed. "Sorry, ma'am. I had them switched to a secure channel when I found something on the inspection officer you had us searching. You didn't know about the switch."

"Fair enough. Report, then give me the frequency. I need to be able to communicate with the ship while I'm on the station."

"Aye, ma'am. Simply put, I'm pretty sure he's a Cerberus mole."

Shock. Her arms came unfolded and her hip un-jutted and everything. "What the  _fuck_?! How do you know?"

"He didn't have anything on him, ma'am, but he's got this tattoo. It looks more like embedded bits of metal, to be honest, arranged in a particular way. It's similar to something Commander Shepard told me about while she was familiarizing me with the ship, telling me about its Cerberus origins."

"Shit." She thought for a moment, not looking at him. "Snap a holo and send it to my omnitool. If he wakes up, I want him questioned. Check for an implant or anything else he could use. And mine his omnitool."

"Already done, ma'am. He's no biotic, and his omnitool is clean. It's confiscated down in Engineering, should you need it."

"No. I'm going groundside. And you're coming with me. Grab a gun and let's go."

* * *

"Hey! No dogs!" The bartender then went immediately back to wiping the glass in his hand, and Shepard completely ignored him. She sat at a booth, accepting the dark beer James brought her. She attempted to look cool, lazy, like she was just here for a damn beer, not trying to storm the Council tower. Baxter lay down at her feet.

"So, Lola. We got, what, fifteen minutes before you gotta go?"

"Yeah, sorry Diego. I have somewhere to be. You mind watching Baxter for me?" She didn't miss this fake banter.  _If we can pull this off, I'll never have to do it again_.

"No problem. Though, I can't promise he won't be seeing things if I meet a pretty girl." James grinned before taking a large gulp of his beer.

Their other companions had split off, heading straight to the Presidium. James and Baxter were to meet up with them at the last minute. He was too big not to be a marine on leave – there was no way he wouldn't look conspicuous with three people who were playing the part of simple citizens. So he was on his own with the dog. Shepard would be sneaking in and finding a way to get them into the tower. If she did her job right, they'd be going through the front door, which would immediately throw off all suspicion from their presence in the tower.

Of course, once inside, some people might recognize her – the last time she was here, plenty of people in the various Councilors' offices heard her being offered Spectre status. But she was hoping that they really wouldn't be that long in the tower before they had faced Udina. She was starting to realize that she was leaving a whole lot up to hope.  _I never have done anything without some element of flying by the seat of my pants. Hasn't failed me so far_.

She and James bantered for another fifteen minutes or so, then she got up, downed the rest of her beer, and sauntered out of the bar. Anyone watching from the outside wouldn't have seen her, however, as she melted into the shadows before she exited, coming out a completely different door. She bolted, running the distance to the tower in ten minutes, dodging foot traffic easily on her own like this. The Citadel was a busy enough place that one person running wasn't really that strange – whenever she saw it, she assumed someone was in a hurry. Unless they had that look of panic that told her they were running from C-Sec.

Before she arrived, she pulled off into an alley. "Alright, Kasumi," she mumbled to herself. "If this mod doesn't work, I'm tracking you down on Earth and throttling you." She activated the mod on her omnitool, and watched as her world became dark. The mod caused light to bend around a field her omnitool projected around her, making the tool-user invisible to the naked eye. It also didn't allow any light through the field to enter her eyes, so she had to rely on her omnitool's detailed scans of the area around her in order to move. She took slow, careful steps, not even bothering to look in front of her, just watching herself on her HI map, making sure to stay well away from any people it marked, using her ears to augment and confirm what she saw on her map.

It took another ten minutes to get inside. There were two security checkpoints, but she was able to move  _around_  the scanning equipment. At one point the equipment went off, but the C-Sec officer was dumb enough to simply chalk it up to faulty equipment and reset it. Shepard barely succeeded in holding in her laughter, so relieved was she to get away. Once inside, she ducked into a corridor, went to the very center point where the cameras' views did  _not_  overlap, and deactivated her omnitool, ripping away her civilian jacket, revealing her usual non-formal uniform shirt.

It was time to go. She had only a few minutes to get everyone inside.

* * *

Ashley waited within sight of the Council tower, Kaidan trying hard not to fidget next to her. She hadn't yet filled him in on the details of the plan, though the whole ship was aware of Udina's involvement with Cerberus, at this point.  _And_ , she thought wryly,  _it's not like this plan is big on details._ In true Shepard form, it was a "get in, something happens, profit" kind of plan. The details were to be made up in the spur of the moment.

In addition to Kaidan, Ashley had also picked up their buddy Garrus, a turian C-Sec agent who'd done some work with her and Shepard a few months back. He had no idea what was going on, but he intended to find out, and had no problem finding out with a gun drawn. Along with Garrus had come Tali, a quarian on her Pilgrimage who they had met at the same time as Garrus. She'd proven herself a very useful hacker, and a delightful spitfire of a woman to have around. She also wasn't too shabby with a shotgun, despite being in an envirosuit, which didn't lend itself well to close-up combat. Shepard had tried to convince her to join the Normandy's crew, but she wouldn't. She didn't give a reason, but given how close and familiar she and Garrus were when she'd gone to find them, Ashley suspected that she'd stayed on the Citadel for him. And given that Garrus had been her knight-in-shining-armor, she wasn't surprised.

When she'd first met them, she'd been against their involvement. While she wasn't a human supremacist, she  _was_  distrustful of aliens. Her only experience was her family's history in the First Contact War, and the Council species' governments looking out for themselves first. However, in that particular job, they couldn't have gotten very far without the inside help of a C-Sec officer, and Garrus had proven every single one of her assumptions about turians wrong. He was funny, with a biting sense of humor. He was loyal, exposing himself to fire to save Ashley's ass. And he was kind and compassionate, saving Tali and then comforting her when she found herself being dragged along on their mission. She'd been literally caught in the crossfire, and Garrus had pulled her behind some cover. When the firefight had finished, she'd wept in her shock over what she'd found herself involved in, cursing the need to leave the Flotilla. He had reminded her why she left – him, a turian, a species who, as a rule, considered themselves above all others, especially gypsy-like "suit rats" – displaying his knowledge of quarian life and customs, and comforted her, commiserating over being home-sick. He'd then lent her a shotgun and watched with a glint of glee in his eyes as she ripped the place up the next time they ran into enemies.

Now the four of them were waiting for the right time. It didn't take long. They sat around smoking and chatting for all of five minutes before Ashley's omnitool beeped with an incoming call. It was from Shepard, indicating she was now inside. She promptly ignored it, stubbed out the cigar she'd been smoking, experiencing a fleeting moment of regret at having to chuck the rest of it – it was expensive, and Cuban – and began to stroll toward the tower. Garrus came up behind her.

"So? Care to fill me in before we're actually inside?"

"No," she said, smirking at the exasperated way his mandibles flared. She thought she might be getting good at turian facial expressions, though she suspected it had more to do with how annoyed  _she_  would be if she'd gotten that answer. "But I  _do_  need you to get us inside. Then I can let you know what the Hell's going on."

"Right. Well. It's lucky I got promoted last week. My old rank never would've gotten you past the front doors."

They approached the entry, the first checkpoint in a line of them. This one was scanning equipment  _and_  an agent. "Hold, please. What's your business with the Council today?"

"There's a meeting in the human Councilor's office," said Ashley. It was a flimsy excuse to get in, but it was the one they were working with.

"I don't have that on my schedule," said the turian officer, flicking through a screen in front of him.

Garrus stepped in. "It was last-minute, Halanz. I'm here to make sure the humans get through – there wasn't any time to add it to the schedule, or to authorize them ahead of time."

"Vakarian! I'm sorry, sir. I didn't realize. I just need your names and you need to be scanned, then you're free to go."

Two minutes later, they were through security faster than Ashley had ever thought possible. They headed in, got on an elevator, and Ashley filled the other three in one what was going to happen, giving her two alien comrades a synopsis of the goings-on with Udina. She knew that, now that they were this close, it didn't matter if they were recorded, as there wouldn't be enough time to get a warning to the right people if they were, so telling them now wouldn't be a problem. Tali and Garrus were both sufficiently pissed, and all four people ended up exiting the elevator with guns drawn.

* * *

Shepard walked as calmly as possible to the entrance, noticing Ashley, Garrus, and Tali pass by ahead, heading for the elevators, but not calling their attention to her. She did make a mental note to ask Ashley why the fuck she'd brought that greenhorn Kaidan along, though. She continued to the security point they'd just passed through.

"Can I help you, ma'am," came the greeting from the turian at the helm of the checkpoint that had registered her presence as she'd come in while cloaked.  _Wonder if all of C-Sec is turian, or if the other races just get more interesting assignments…_

"Yes, officer. There's a last-minute meeting in the human Councilor's office. I came to make sure some of those coming are allowed in. We didn't have time to clear them before, sorry about that."

"It's okay. We just had a group like that come through. Must be an important meeting." He pulled up a screen. "Just point them out when they come up, and I'll make sure they're through."

It took all of a minute. She saw Miranda's luscious hair and Jack's bald head on the screen, in a group with Steve, James – both now decked out in military uniforms – and Baxter, and pointed out the group. "The dog, too. He's a military canine. Highly trained."

The turian agent nodded. "That's not that out of the ordinary for your military. At least it's better than when people try to bring varren in – they always train them to kill."

"But never to heel, I know. Thanks, man. I'll just wait here until they're in, shall I?" He nodded.

Another couple of minutes, and everyone was through. She gestured with her head for them to follow, turning on her heel and marching through to the elevator that would take them up to the Council chambers.

Once inside, James boosted her up. She rooted around while the others watched her, Baxter with his head tilted, finding the latch to the emergency exit door hatch. She climbed through and immediately turned around, not looking to the walls of the elevator shaft speeding by her, not wanted to think about it, or she might just get sick. She reached down and helped Jack and Miranda through, Steve coming up last after a terrified Baxter was lifted bodily up into her waiting arms. Steve then duplicated her move, turning and dropping a hand. James jumped to grab them both, and he was pulled through the hatch, barely big enough to accommodate his massive shoulders and chest. He replaced the hatch, and they all settled in to wait, Shepard keeping a reassuring hand on Baxter's back while she herself looked up to their destination at the top to avoid getting sick from the passing walls of the shaft.

The elevator slowed, then stopped, letting passengers into the now empty elevator car.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut warning. Because how could these two *not* have sex?

"I outrank you, soldier. Let us in."

"I can't do that, ma'am. You're standing here with your guns drawn, two non-Alliance aliens with you. I can't just let you in to the Councilor's office, not without a direct order from an admiral or higher."

Ashley had to hand it to him. He was standing with only a pistol, the only one left conscious, the only thing between them and the door (whose lock Tali could easily hack in her sleep). The man had ten tons of balls. Her heart went out to him, it really did – she'd hate to be in his shoes. But she still had shit to do, and he was in her way.

"I understand," she said, then suddenly swung wide, flipping her pistol as she did so, and hitting him on the side of his head. He'd have a nasty headache, but he'd be alive, and beyond reproach from his superior officers – can't get punished for letting the fugitives in if they knocked you out in order to get in. "Tali, if you wouldn't mind…"

"On it," she said. Ashley was curious to know what the quarian language sounded like to give her the accent she spoke with. She'd never met another quarian, so she had no idea what others of her race might sound like when they spoke Galactic.  _I wonder if they have different accents like we do?_

"There," said the girl, backing away from the door as the lock disengaged. "Really, they should be embarrassed by how easy that was.

"Excellent work, Tali, thank you. Kaidan," she said, addressing the biotic standing next to her. "I'm gonna head in with Garrus, and I want you two to come in behind us. Freeze anyone you see with a gun in a stasis field, okay?" He nodded his understanding. They all checked their heat sinks, prepped themselves, and the door slid open.

Ashley dove to her right, feeling a quick spray of bullets in her wake, popping into cover behind a couch. Garrus took advantage of the gun following Ashley and ran in to the left, knocking over a table for cover. Tali and Kaidan rushed in immediately after Garrus, Tali finding Councilor Udina's face with her gun while Kaidan froze the person shooting at them in a stasis field. Ashley popped up, pistol pointed at the councilor while Garrus aimed at the now-immobile Alliance officer that had clearly been in a meeting with the councilor before they crashed it.

Ashley took in the scene: Udina, hands held above his head, glaring at all of them defiantly, Admiral Anderson frozen in place-

"Anderson, sir! Kaidan, let go of him!"

* * *

Shepard listened as Ashley ordered Kaidan to let the admiral free.

"But, you said-"

"Do it, Alenko!" Shepard watched through the grating above as Anderson was released from the biotic hold. He immediately brought up his pistol, pointing it directly at Ashley.

 _Cock. Clearly, I can_ _not_ _catch a damn break. Of fucking_ _course_ _Anderson's in there. Can't do anything the easy way_. Shepard sighed soundlessly. She would deal with the consequences later. As Ashley began to try to explain what was going on, clearly unable to think on her feet and apprehend the man they were actually after, Shepard kicked through the grating and jumped through, dropping down right on top of the councilor. An "oof" escaped him when her feet hit his shoulders, and a cry was released when he found himself on the ground, face-first, his thinning hair gripped in her hand and pulled back, her hunting knife pressed just hard enough to his throat that he knew not to move.

The move took her all of three seconds, but it was enough for Ashley to get a hold of herself. When Shepard dropped through the grate, grabbing the admiral's attention, she shot out her hand and knocked his gun away. Garrus rushed forward almost at the same instant, grabbing the man's hands and yanking them behind his back.

"Sorry, Admiral. Just listen to what Shepard has to say," he murmured to the man. He'd had the privilege of working with him some while he was stationed with Alliance Command on the Citadel; he was a good man, concerned with doing the  _right_  thing, even if it was not the easy thing. "If you're not convinced, I'll let you have my gun to replace the one Ash just relieved you of." He saw the admiral give a nod that would have been imperceptible to anyone else, and flared his mandibles in satisfaction; the man trusted Shepard, his protégé, with his life, and was not about to doubt her now.

Meanwhile, Tali had lowered her gun, and Shepard was speaking. "Councilor Donnell Udina, proof has been found that you are part of a Cerberus plot to overthrow the Citadel Council. Do you deny it?" This was only partially true – proof  _had_  been found, and then promptly erased before anyone else could see it. She had to  _scare_  him into confessing.

"You're a crazy bitch," he began, but stopped immediately when he heard a low, deep growl. He'd suffered through Shepard's presence enough times to know the sound of that infernal mutt she insisted on bringing with her everywhere. Baxter growled his way into the room, coming to stop, still giving off a warning growl, right in front of Udina. Shepard smirked.

"Yes, yes, alright, it's true. Just let go of me, you insufferable  _whore_!"

" _Someone_  has quite a foul mouth when he's scared." Miranda had walked silently into the room behind the dog, standing to one side of the door with her biotics primed to make sure no one made it out of the room until it was the right time. And if anyone did, James, Steve, and Jack would be in the hall waiting for them, biotics, knife, and fists ready for action.

"I agree," said Shepard, removing the knife and letting go of his hair. She shoved him down as she got up, giving Baxter the signal to _stay on him_.

"Shepard." It was Anderson's baritone, and it got her attention immediately. "What did you find, child?"

"Garrus, let him go." He was released. Shepard saluted as he rubbed his wrists to get the blood flowing back into his hands. Garrus turned to call backup to arrest the human Councilor.

"Report. I'm sure it's a good one." His small smile was not lost on the humans in the room – he knew their CO better than even they did. As she explained what she found, however, the smile disappeared. It rounded to an all-out frown with the revelation that Udina had been the mole, that he'd been the one to pass the information about who Shepard was to Lawson, endangering her life, the mission, and their chance at a human Spectre.

"And so rather than contact you and try to get it done officially, I chose to come take care of it myself, sir." She was standing at parade rest at this point, both hands clasped around her knife in front of her.

"I see. Well, you're right, without irrefutable proof, he wouldn't have been apprehended before he was able to get a message off to Cerberus." At the look on Shepard's face, he chuckled. "Yes, I believe you, Commander. And I  _did_  just hear his confession. C'mon. Let's sort this out, and you can buy me a drink to make up for having me rushed, hmm?"

Udina's cackle filled the room. Ashley strode forward, gun trained on him, and placed a foot on his back. "What's so damn funny?"

"You! You think you've won! You think you've stopped them! They don't need me! Hell, half the human C-Sec officers on this station have been replaced with Cerberus! You can't stop it!"

"Shut up!" She shoved with her foot, trying to silence him.

"What's happening on your ship, Lieutenant-Commander?"

An icy sweat had sprung up down her spine. "Shepard, we found a Cerberus infiltrator when we submitted to inspections. He's in our brig."

Shepard rounded on her, having completely forgotten that she was in parade rest and had not been dismissed. "What? You put a Cerberus mole in the brig with Lawson's head of security?" Udina giggled again.

Ash swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. "Yeah."  _He had been a little_ _easy_ _to apprehend…_

"We have civilians on that ship, one of them the whole point of my damn  _mission_! Fuck, Ash, there's a damn  _kid_  on the ship!"

Ash removed her foot, lowered her gun, and stood to face Shepard. They were evenly matched. "The fuck was I supposed to do?! You do this sneaky shit all the damn time! I found a threat, I incapacitated it, and I threw him in the brig under guard! It'll be fine."

"He's there on  _purpose_ , Ash! Can't you see? They're infiltrating my ship, taking out their biggest threat!"

"I-"

Their attention was redirected by the pointed clearing of Anderson's throat. Having gotten very close to each other during the course of their argument, they now turned simultaneously toward him, anger fading into identical sheepish expressions.

"Right. Let's go to your ship, shall we, ladies?" C-Sec officers filed into the room, going over to Udina, still on the floor and at Baxter's mercy.

Shepard nodded. "Right, sir."

Ash, Shepard, and Anderson took the lead, everyone else following behind.

Tali spoke up to Garrus, not trying to be quiet about it. "Ash and Shepard bicker like an old married couple. Well, one where both parties can snipe a pyjak at five hundred meters, but still…"

Garrus's mandibles flared as he chuckled.

She continued. "Think we'll ever be like that?" Her voice sounded innocent enough, but she had the biggest shit-eating grin on her face that no one could see, knowing Garrus would lose his cool. Garrus choked. They'd only been dating for a few months! They hadn't even tried having sex yet! He didn't even know what her face looked like yet!

Jack snorted behind them, then decided to save Garrus. "Yeah, I've been wondering when they're gonna start fucking for a while now."

James and Steve shared a knowing look. James strode forward to pass her, laying a hand on her shoulder a moment as he did so. "The Commander's spoken for, I think. But what I wanna know, Jack, is why  _you_  aren't going after Williams. Is it because you're too busy fucking Miranda?" He then passed her, a smirk on his face, Steve right behind him.

Jack stopped dead. She was about to say something about her disgust for both of those women when her eyes lighted on Miranda's shapely ass, hips swaying as she walked ahead of her.  _That ass… Maybe he's onto something…_

* * *

The man woke up, groggy as shit. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in the brig of the Normandy. He shook his head clear it, then grinned.  _Good_.

"You're awake. What are you in for? I saw them searching you and everything."

He looked to his right to see a black man in a tight-fitting leather uniform. He recognized him as Henry Lawson's head of security, having been part of a security detail for another Cerberus researcher who'd visited the estate.

"Taylor," he asked, his throat scratchy, his voice gruff to his own ears. Damn, that Williams sure packed a damn punch.

"Yeah, who're you?"

"We never officially met, but I visited the estate last year as security for someone. Listen, you up for helping me get out of here?"

"Maybe. How you gonna get out?"

"Keep your voice down" he whispered, well aware of the AI's ability to record everything on the ship. "I've got a way. I'm here intentionally. I need to get to the Captain's quarters, then shut this ship down. Cerberus is poised to take over the station."

* * *

When Shepard got to the dock, she could tell something was wrong. There were no Alliance personnel around, first of all, and when she approached the ship, the airlock remained closed.  _Cock_.

"EDI," she yelled, looking around her, wondering if the AI could hear her out here.

Her holographic sphere popped up outside the airlock door. "Yes, Commander?"

"Open the door. We need to get inside."

"I cannot do that, Shepard. Hackers are attempting to overwrite my programming. They are trying to reinstate the Cerberus shackles that you released in order to liberate the ship. I have isolated my program – they will not succeed. However, I am locked away from the ship's systems until the hacking attempts terminate. I have control of cameras and communications, but little else."

"What the fuck happened?!" Shepard was pissed. This was supposed to be a simple last mission. Instead, shit hit the fan, and Cerberus was on her ship. She almost puked when she reminded herself that her two lovers and their son were on the ship with them.

"I will show you the security logs. Meanwhile, I suggest Tali'Zorah begin on the door." Her holographic interface was replaced with three silent view screens as Tali moved quietly into place, crouching before them so they could see. One played footage of the man Ashley had incapacitated waking up in the brig and speaking with Taylor. The second showed Joker's displays blinking before disappearing, his confusion and cursing evident even without sound. The third showed them the spot they were currently standing in, a man crouching and fiddling with his omnitool, slipping through the airlock as it opened.

As they all watched, the interloper, along with Taylor, took advantage of a suddenly malfunctioning barrier on their cell and jumped the guards before they knew what had happened. Then they disappeared from view. Meanwhile, the man who'd been outside the door, clearly responsible for the barrier failure with his omnitool, crept up behind Joker and produced an electric shock, knocking the pilot out completely. He slid the slumped man aside, depositing him unceremoniously on the floor, hitting a button on the controls before disappearing in the direction of the CIC. At that same moment, a rush of half a dozen C-Sec officers – clearly the Cerberus impersonators Udina had mentioned – slid through the airlock, the door slamming behind them.

"EDI, how long ago did all this happen?"

"The airlock door was shut and sealed approximately one minute before you arrived, Commander."

"What about Liara and Samantha?"

"They are-" The AI paused mid-sentence before continuing. "Shepard, that camera connection has just been disconnected-"

"The fuck?!" Ashley finally spoke up. "How?"

"The gentleman who greeted you for inspection, Lieutenant-Commander. He and Operative Taylor just entered the room."

Shepard and Ashley exchanged a quick glance, before uttering their signature expletive simultaneously. "Cock." Then the door slid open, and they couldn't get through it quickly enough.

* * *

They sat watching a vid, some children's program that taught English letters and numbers with fuzzy hand puppets. It was indeed old, but no less educational, and Adam was absolutely  _fascinated_. His eyes were wide, his body still, his hands politely folded in his lap as he sat on the sofa between Samantha and Liara. Samantha looked down at him, smiling indulgently. Her arm snaked its way around his shoulder, pulling him gently but protectively to her side.

But then the spell was broken. He looked over to the door, then up to her.

"Mama? Mama, something's happening." That was the only warning they got before the door was open, two large men forcing their way in. One turned immediately and shot, the security camera exploding an instant later. The other man, the head of security from Lawson's estate, headed into the room without stopping, his gun pointing directly at them.

Liara was on her feet instantly, moving to shield her lover and son from the gun as Samantha shoved the boy behind her on the sofa. However, before she could shield them fully, before her biotics could encase her in blue flame, he shifted his aim. His arm now pointed right into Samantha's face, but his eyes didn't leave Liara's. "Move away, or I'll prove that a bullet moves faster than your biotics."

Liara had no choice. She moved toward the fish tank, staring angrily, feeling the dark energy coursing just below the surface, ready for her to call on it at any moment. The man who'd taken out the camera approached her, taking her arm roughly in one large hand. "I don't have one of those fancy collars. So if you try anything, he  _will_  shoot them." His tone left no room for argument; this would be her only warning. They were frog-marched from the room.

They didn't go to the CIC once on the elevator, however. Instead, they waited, at gunpoint, until they came to the shuttle bay. When the doors slid open, Taylor immediately strode forward, shooting the only man in the room, who's back was to them as he leaned over a display, in the back of the head. Samantha was only just able to get her hand to the back of Adam's head and slam his face into her shoulder in an attempt to shield him from the blatant brutality that they were forced to witness. He whimpered, clutching very tightly to her shirt.

"Mama," he whispered, a plea more than anything. He felt the emotions roiling around him, creating a world of swirling colors inside of his mind. Before his eyes were the people he loved, as well as some very angry men. But behind his eyes, blacks, reds, and browns swirled, threatening to overtake the mellow shades of purple and white that had become his baseline, what he would eventually associate with the presence of Samantha and Liara once he was older. At the same moment that the gun went off, a sharp spike of a nameless color overtook even his physical sight, throwing his world upside-down for a moment. When this had happened to his father, it had not overcome him in this way. His mother's calm and Liara's anger, as well as Shepard's protectiveness and the confidence and camaraderie of the others present, had overcome the input he had received from the dying man, merely giving him a few nightmares the last time he slept. Now, however, he experienced the emotions right along with the dying man, the moment stretching out infinitely as the man's life fled his body.

Samantha didn't know what was happening to her sweet boy, however; no one had had the chance to inform her of Dr. Chakwas' findings regarding his ability to channel the emotions of others. All she knew was that her baby boy was clearly traumatized by what was going on, clutching so tightly to her that she wouldn't be able to pry him off if she tried, burying his face in her shoulder, and whimpering as if in pain. She wrapped her arm around him tighter, cradling the back of his head as tears sprung to life behind her eyes.

"Liara, something's wrong with Adam," she started, her world having shrunk momentarily to the three of them. Her tunnel vision widened again when a pistol was abruptly shoved into her face.

"Shut it. Get in the shuttle, asari." The man with the broken nose was the one wielding the weapon, Lawson's security guard standing at the console he'd just made available. Liara made to move to Samantha as the shuttle bay door began to open, but was stopped by a warning glance from the man who, at that moment, held her lover's life in his hands. Resigning herself, she turned and stalked to the shuttle. Taylor followed her, opening the door and allowing her entry before moving past her to the shuttle's piloting controls. Samantha watched as the man with the gun trained on them backed toward the shuttle, miraculously leaving them in the shuttle bay. _But wait, no, they're leaving us here but taking Liara! No!_

She could do nothing without endangering the life of the small boy in her arms. She watched helplessly as he disappeared into the shuttle, the door latching closed with an air of finality. Her lifeline in a world of pain and misery had just been closed off from her, and she could do nothing to prevent it from being taken away. All she could do was hold onto her son and watch it happen.

Sensing his mother's fear, taking it for his own, Adam clung to her even tighter, if it was possible, finally letting the tears that had been threatening him since the spike of color from the dying man to come forth. He sobbed little-boy sobs into his mothers shoulder, mourning without knowing why, the soft purple light behind his eyes fading as the shuttle lifted off, exiting through the shuttle bay door. Between Liara's absence and his mother's panic, he felt as though his very heart were being slowly pulled from his chest. Samantha tightened her grip.

* * *

Shepard was beyond worried now, having slipped into full-blown panic-mode some time before. It was only her training that saved her from doing something incredibly stupid. Her boots hit the metal of the bulkheads with resounding clanks as she ran, her pistol-laden squad hot on her heels. Every crewmember that had still been aboard the ship was on the floor, but Shepard didn't have time to check on them. They were either still alive or not, whereas, if she was fast enough, she could save Liara and Sam. She cursed the lack of stairs as she threw herself through the access ducts; EDI had informed her of the elevator's occupancy and intended destination. Baxter climbed through behind her, along with Ash, Jack, Tali, and Miranda. The boys, in their girth, waited for the elevator, poised and ready as backup.

It felt like she was in those ducts forever, despite probably traversing them faster than any being had ever managed to before. But then she turned a corner and was presented with her last exit-point, a hole in the floor with a ladder down the side. She descended the ladder quickly, but stopped just short of exiting; she needed to get a look around before she could drop herself into the large, open space. Shepard grabbed the last rung with both hands and hoisted, ending up with her head at the lip of the shaft and her feet holding tightly to another rung somewhere above. She felt someone climb down next to her, and heard Jack speak softly as hands wrapped around her ankles.

"If you fall, I've got you, Shepard."

Shepard grunted in thanks and lowered herself several centimeters; just enough to get a good look around. She saw the open shuttle bay door, a shuttle gaining distance from the ship. She saw Samantha clutching Adam to her tightly, a look of absolute panic on her face. She saw one of her crew clearly dead at Samantha's bare feet, a pool of blood surrounding him. What she did not see were hostiles. Or Liara.

"I got it, Jack, let me go now," she whispered, feeling the blood start to gather uncomfortably in her face, making it feel oddly bloated and heavy. She let go with her feet and folded her body, finding herself hanging by her hands, right side up now, before letting go and landing with a  _clunk_  a meter or two away from Samantha.

She jumped and squeaked in surprise before throwing herself into Shepard's arms with a muffled "Lola!" Shepard held her, Adam between them, for a moment, barely noticing Jack catching Baxter, who couldn't weigh much less than she did herself, Ash, Tali, and Miranda dropping down in quick succession behind her.

"Is that one of our shuttles?" Ashley had moved immediately to the open shuttle bay door, peering out at the disappearing shuttle.

This roused Samantha. "They've taken her!" She pushed herself back, her son still clinging desperately to her. "Lola," she said, going with the first name she'd ever associated with her lover in her panic, "They've taken Liara! In the shuttle! Taylor and some other man!"

"Shit," said Ashley, coming back over to them, going to the console that had been occupied by the dead man. "That was the guy I knocked out. I've never wished I'd killed someone before."

"Time to change that impulse, Williams," said Jack, coming to stand next to her, inspecting what she was doing on the console. An image flashed through Ashley's mind of pulling her pistol on Jack and offering to change the impulse right then, but she thought that it might not go down well in this particular instance.

"This day is full of 'would haves' and 'should haves'." Shepard had released Samantha, but was somewhat distracted from what she was being said around her, eyes instead locked on Adam. "Guys, wait for the boys, then go clear the ship. Have EDI help you. I need to take care of something. Tali, can you track that shuttle?" A calm was settling over her as the others disappeared in the newly arrived elevator, Tali moving to do as Shepard had asked. She placed her hand on Adam's back and looked into Samantha's eyes. "I think I can help him, Sam."

"I've never seen him so frightened," Samantha admitted, her own eyes wide, clearly shell-shocked herself.

"It's because you're afraid, too. And so am I. And probably Liara, and definitely poor Jenkins there." She indicated the dead man on the floor with a nod in his direction. "But we're going to get her back. Let me take him for a minute?" Samantha nodded, taking Adam around the waist.

"C'mon, baby, let Lola hold you for a while, okay?"

It was like he was waking up from something. His head came up from Samantha's shoulder, his eyes opening. Red swirled behind them, but it was not the red of anger and death from before. Instead, it was the shade he'd come to associate with Shepard's presence, with her joy and laughter, her smile, and her strong, protective embrace. He blinked a few times, loosening his grip on his mother as some balance within him was restored by the other woman's familiar presence. Then he looked at his mother, seeming, finally, to register her words, and nodded. She was then able to remove him from her, handing him over to Shepard.

Shepard said nothing as she took him, simply holding him and letting her battle-calm completely overtake her, feeling him relax into her embrace as she calmed all emotions within her in preparation for a fight. While she let Tali work, she explained to Samantha, now at her side with a hand on her shoulder, what Chakwas had explained about Adam.

* * *

They moved through the ship in small groups after hitting the armory: Miranda with Jack, James with Steve and Anderson, and Ashley with Garrus and Baxter. They probably should have split the two biotics up, both because they were explosive when combined, and to match their skills with the more blunt skills of the soldiers. But Ashley had no wish to work with either of them, and none of the men were volunteering, either. Plus, Ashley had noticed an almost predatory look in Jack's eyes whenever she looked at Miranda, and Ashley was not about to get in its way. Let Little Miss Perfect handle herself; Ashley was just fine taking the dog and the turian.

EDI informed her through her personal communicator that no one had accessed anything in the Nest, so Ashley took the CIC. They knew the actual CIC was empty, but the War and QEC Rooms were another story. After sending Miranda and Jack to the Crew Deck, and the men down to Engineering, she dropped to a knee, fastened a shield generator to Baxter's collar, and entered the scanning area between the CIC and the War Room.

She whistled low. Privates Westmoreland and Campbell were on the ground, her quick glance in their direction confirming their deaths at point-blank range. "At least it was quick," she commented, deactivating the scanner and heading through to the next door, the scanner coming back to life once the three of them were through.

The next room was empty. The conference table sat, innocently enough, to the side, steadfastly refusing to tell what it had seen. The cameras in the ship had all been shot out as the infiltrators had made their way through, but EDI could tell her where consoles were being accessed, and there were two in the next room that were active, as well as one in the AI core. So, at the very least, they were facing two armed people. When she mentioned this, Garrus pointed out that there could be as many as five or six.

"Cock." She checked that her thermal clip was good to go, nodded to Garrus that she was ready, then ran into the room before she could over think it.

She began shooting at the first C-Sec uniform she saw. She heard the spray of Garrus' weapon to her side, the two of them running in different directions once again. There were three men in the room, two working at consoles, one coming out of the QEC to shoot at them from relative cover. She downed one as she took the scant cover offered by the large columns sticking out of the bulkheads. When she peered back around, she saw that Baxter was further incapacitating him, while Garrus wasn't bothering with cover at all; he was simply too large. He instead jumped over the railing, using the holographic display to hide himself even that little bit, and ran straight for the man in the QEC. Ashley saw her chance and ran from cover, taking out the third man with a couple of bullets and a rifle-butt to his chin.

The room was now quiet. Garrus was fiddling with the QEC equipment, and Baxter was ensuring that his quarry was, indeed, dead. "You got who he was trying to contact?"

"Yeah," Garrus replied, "and you're not gonna like it. He was trying to use the QEC to contact Cerberus – it's the only way he'd be able to on the station."

"Why do you think he needed to, though?" Ashley moved up next to him, her gun now slung on her back. She looked over the controls, confirming what he'd already told her.

"Lieutenant-Commander Williams, I have a possible answer." EDI's voice flared to life through the room, no longer needing to keep her communication with them secret from the infiltrators.

"Okay, let's hear it."

"Knowing that Cerberus is planning a coup, I believe that they planned to use this ship to coordinate the attack on the rest of the station, as it is the only place they could access untraceable communications equipment. If this is true, and this was the plan the entire time – to await the Normandy's return – it would explain why they had agents waiting to board. The hack they used to try to reinstall my shackles is sophisticated; they would have been planning this for some time. My hypothesis is that they planned to seize the station and the ship simultaneously."

"Interesting. Well, hopefully that set them back a little and bought us some time." She watched as Garrus made sure nothing had gotten out, then locked down the equipment once more. "How are the others faring?"

"Shepard and Tali have managed to narrow in on the shuttle's signal. Admiral Anderson and Lieutenants Vega and Cortez are reviving Engineering crewmembers Donnely and Daniels. Jack and Ms. Lawson have incapacitated the infiltrators that were attempting to hack my hardware in the AI core. They have revived Dr. Chakwas, and are now engaged in sexual relations in the core." EDI stated all of this with the same mildly interested tone to her voice, but Ashley and Garrus both nearly choked with the last sentence.

"Jesus! I didn't need to know that, EDI, fuck!" Garrus continued to splutter, his mandibles flaring wildly, while Ashley swore at the computer.

"My apologies, Lieutenant-Commander. You may also want to know that, from the sounds and pheromones I can detect, Shepard's canine appears to be gravely injured."

"Wait, Baxter?" She exited the room, looking for him, but not immediately finding him. She rounded the display, growing tense as she heard his faint whimpers, and broke into a run as he came into view. He lay on his side next to the man he had killed, whimpering, looking at her with deep, pleading brown eyes. His back leg was twisted, a bloody knife lying next to him. As she crouched over the dog, careful not to touch as she examined the leg – lying in an increasingly large pool of blood as it was – she finally saw what had happened. She shuddered at the sight, wanting to simultaneously throw up and curl up into a ball on the floor at the thought of that happening to her. She was a battle-hardened warrior, having just killed a man in the last five minutes. But some injuries were so bad, so horrifying to imagine having to live with, that even her hardened exterior cracked. The poor dog.

"EDI, get Chakwas down her as fast she can. Tell her he severed his Achilles tendon."

* * *

Miranda and Jack had been a powerhouse of biotic death. They blew through the crew deck, finding the hackers and biotically yanking them through into the infirmary, where Jack had a tremendous amount of fun sending them through the window. It was clear, even from a distance, that all of them had died from the giant shards of glass that had been sent after them. They had revived Dr. Chakwas, who had thankfully only been knocked unconscious and not shot, as most of the crew on the rest of the deck had been. She had then gathered medical equipment and was now on the elevator responding to the Engineering team's call for aid.

Jack leaned against a bed, arms crossed, openly staring at Miranda's ass in her leather pants as the other woman leaned over the doctor's terminal. She made a decision, pushed herself from the bed, and stalked over, pressing herself into the black-haired woman.

Miranda tensed. "Jack, what are you doing?"

"Shut it, Lawson." She ran a hand up the outside of Miranda's thigh, feeling the muscles tense under her hand. She smirked as she came to rest on Miranda's hip.

"Jack, get off. We have work to do."

"We took care of it. Why not fuck to celebrate?" She ran her other hand down Miranda's back, starting at the skin showing just above her ass, and finishing at her bra, under her shirt. She started working the clasp.

Miranda finally stood, turning around with a look she hoped showed fury, and not arousal. "This is hardly the time to have hate sex."

Jack just grinned and pressed herself into the taller woman, avoiding her lips altogether in favor of the pulse point on her throat. She latched on while continuing her work on the clasp to Miranda's bra. Miranda practically melted into her, allowing her hands to wrap around Jack, caressing the scars her former employer had inflicted. She experienced a swell of sympathy, along with the flare of arousal between her legs, and chose to only focus on the latter. She wasn't used to dealing with these kinds of emotions, and in the last twenty-four hours, she'd been thrust into more than she had ever thought could happen in a day. Surely sex would help alleviate the stress? She pushed off from Chakwas desk and steered Jack into the AI core, intending that they have at least a little privacy. She'd just have to apologize to EDI later.

Once inside, Jack pushed her over to the examination table in the back, throwing Miranda's shirt and bra somewhere behind her as she did so. Once her ass hit the table, Jack wasted no time in peeling her partner's tight leather pants down to her ankles and lifting her to sit on it. Three slim fingers plunged inside of Miranda as Jack finally caught her lips in a kiss that was all tongue and teeth, and it was all Miranda could do to hold on for dear life. As Jack fucked her, pumping in and out in a hard, fast rhythm that was typical Jack, she nipped her way down Miranda's chest, stomach, and down into her neatly-trimmed thatch of dark pubic hair.

"Oh, Jesus, Jack," Miranda breathed, holding herself up with both hands braced against the walls of the alcove. Jack's grin was predatory as she hooked Miranda's legs, connected by her pants around her ankles, over her shoulders and plunged her tongue into Miranda's center. She found the hard bundle of nerves immediately and began circling it, spreading a wildfire through Miranda that started with Jack's tongue and fingers.

"Jack, I'm going to… I'm…" And she came, spasming around Jack's fingers, sending fluid gushing into Jack's mouth, her body rocking back and forth on the table she was perched on. Jack slowed her rhythm, moving only to preserve a sense of motion inside of the other woman, concentrating her attention on Miranda's clit, lapping up as much of her nectar as she could. Soon, though, Miranda's rocking eased, her walls relaxed some, and Jack removed herself from the woman, standing up to catch her lips in a hungry kiss.

Miranda moaned at her own taste on the other woman, feeling her arousal flare once more at the feeling of Jack's grin against her lips. But alas, they were interrupted.

"Jack, Miranda?" They both heard Shepard in their earbuds. Jack groaned, pulling away with a "fuck," almost falling from Miranda's legs and pants tripping her. As she extricated herself, Miranda responded, trying to keep the panting from her voice.

"Yes, Commander?"

"Get up to the cockpit. Joker's waking up. We're going after the shuttle that took Liara."

"Yes, Commander. We'll be there shortly." She got down from the table and pulled her pants back up around her hips, barely noting that Jack was leaving without her, something clutched in her hand as she walked, a grin on her face. She looked around a moment before something became clear.  _Where the bloody hell is my bra?_


	13. Chapter 13

His terminal beeped with the incoming message. He opened it, and mused on the information. Shepard had returned, bringing with her Liara T'Soni, daughter of a powerful asari Matriarch, located after years of having been missing, her last dig raided by batarian slavers. Probably still incapacitated, helpless. He could use this.

He began typing, contacting the man that he had poised to infiltrate the ship the next time it docked on the Citadel. He changed his own mission: he would secure this new target and rendezvous with the troops who would storm the embassies. Having the girl to blackmail the Matriarchy, and possibly the Council, could only help them in their goal. He smiled to himself. Shepard had just handed them quite the bargaining chip.

* * *

Garrus wasn't much of a letch. He noticed women's bodies from time to time, staring surreptitiously, but he'd always been able to maintain his cool. But even  _he_  couldn't ignore that there was something distinctly different about Miranda's breasts…

"Damn, Lawson, Cerberus stealing bras now?" Joker snorted. Garrus looked from Ashley, who had yelled out the quip, back to Miranda's chest.  _What's a bra?_  Tali giggled, both from Garrus' obvious confusion, and from the looks on both Ashley and Miranda's faces.

Miranda just glared back at Ashley, refusing to say a thing, a scowl firmly in place. She looked around the small cockpit for Jack. When she didn't see the tattooed fury, she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. The woman had taken her bra, she just knew it, was probably hiding it somewhere, the  _child_. Ashley snorted. Miranda's scowl deepened.

"Alright, people, let's get this show on the road." Shepard was walking toward them, Samantha in tow. The dusky-skinned woman was hesitant to step into the cockpit, but Shepard gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and that got her through the tiny crowd of people. She took up the seat to Joker's right, pulling up a screen without saying a word and without looking at anyone.

"How you doin', Joker?"

"Fine, Commander. A few cracked ribs, but nothing I need emergency care for. Chakwas already patched me up."

"Good. I know where Anderson is, but where're the other boys?"

Ashley answered her. "Reviving and treating those that survived. We've got C-Sec hauling out our dead." She crossed her arms over her chest, similar to how Miranda stood but for very different reasons, and indicated Samantha with a nod of her head. "What's she doing up here, skipper?"

"Ash, what the fuck?"

"It's alright, J- Commander." Samantha looked up at Ashley. "I was in the Alliance before my captivity, Lieutenant-Commander. I… I can't just sit still; I need to  _do_  something. Coordinating your communication is something I'm quite confident in my ability to do."

Shepard scowled at Ashley. "Satisfied?" Ashley just shrugged, uncrossing her arms. Shepard looked around. "Anyone else I'm forgetting?"

"I haven't seen Jack… But I think Lawson has." An evil grin spread over Ashley's face.

Miranda simply glared.

Shepard looked from one to the other. "Right…

EDI's holographic interface popped up next to Joker. "Jack and Miss Lawson-"

" _Thank_  you, EDI, that's quite enough." Miranda's voice dripped venom. "I will go change and meet you in the shuttle bay when the shuttle has arrived." She turned to go, then looked back at Shepard. "Have  _you_  seen her?"

Shepard smirked. "Jack? Yeah, we left Adam with her."

Miranda was floored. "You left him with  _her?!_ "

"Yeah. We didn't have anyone else to leave him with. I couldn't just let him wander the ship alone. I would leave him with Chakwas, but she's busy at the moment."

Miranda blinked, utterly unsure of how to respond to that.  _Jack?!_  "Are you sure…"

"She'll keep him safe, I'm sure of it. And I'm sure you've noticed that he has a way with words? He'll be able to handle her just fine."

Miranda sighed. "Yes, fine, Commander. I'll… I'll just go change…" She turned once more to leave. Shepard smirked again and nodded, unable to keep herself from checking out Miranda's ass as the woman stalked out toward the elevator. When she turned around, Ashley was giving her a look, indicating Samantha with her head, who was scowling at Shepard.  _Damnit_.

"Was it just me, or was she totally not wearing a bra?"

Ashley snickered. Garrus continued to show his confusion. Tali giggled, then drew him aside to start explaining. Samantha's scowl deepened. EDI was the only one to reply to her query. "Jack and Miss Lawson engaged in sexual activity in the AI core. Jack took Miss Lawson's brazier with her when she left the core."

"Ah. Well. Right." Shepard didn't really know how to respond to that. She shook her head, then addressed the room. "Okay, people, here's the plan. Garrus, I can't wait for the shuttle. I just got Liara out yesterday and now Cerberus has her directly, instead of through Lawson. They have to have figured out why we wanted her. I don't like what that might mean. I don't know if they're planning to hold her for ransom, make her use her Prothean knowledge on something, or what. You're going to take Ash, Tali, and me in a cruiser. Everyone else is going to come once the shuttle gets here, following us as backup. Anderson's gone to warn the rest of the Council, keep them safe. Any questions, people?"

There were shaken heads and negative murmurs all around.

"Good. C'mon, let's go."

* * *

Kaidan grunted with exertion. "Thanks, Alenko." Kaidan nodded in response to the man he'd just helped into medical bay. The man had a broken leg, but it didn't seem too bad. Some medigel and a brace, and he could probably return to duty right away. And given how many of their crew they'd lost to the surprise attack from the Cerberus infiltrators, they would need him.

"No problem." He dropped the man off to be treated by James and Steve, and walked over to Chakwas. "How's he doing, doc?"

She was leaning over the bed they'd set aside for Baxter. "I've stabilized him, but I'm not a veterinarian. From what I know, though, he's going to lose the leg. We can reattach the tendon for humans, with a bit of luck, and if it's treated right away,  _and_  if the patient is _extremely_  cooperative. Baxter is neither human, nor cooperative enough, and we did not get to his injury right away. Honestly, he's lucky he didn't bleed out." She'd had Kaidan transport the dog in a stasis field to the med bay, sedating him and doing what she could for the leg. But now she had to move on to her human patients. "Usually, with something like this, we replace the limb with a clone. But he's a dog – even the best-trained military canine usually isn't worth that kind of money. He can be replaced with another dog, one that won't need therapy to relearn how to use the replacement. He'll be a good sire for future generations, but his military career is probably over. It's sad, really."

"Well, he's certainly earned his retirement," said Kaidan, patting Chakwas on the shoulder. "Shepard will understand. She'll have him rolling in liver treats, with his choice of females to stud for. Has anyone told her?"

"I don't know, Kaidan, but I certainly don't want to be the one to do so." She moved to the side of another patient, advising as Steve removed a bullet from the woman's leg. "How is your implant?"

"Oh, it's fine, Doctor. I didn't actually come under any fire while I was helping with Engineering. Just a field medic today, apparently." He scratched the back of his neck, clearly irritated at not getting any action.

"Well, your skills certainly came in handy today. Don't get too down on yourself. There is no shame in not being in the middle of the action."

"Right you are, doc," he replied, moving to leave the medbay. "I need to go eat something, or I'm not gonna have any juice left later. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"I will, Kaidan. Go eat, and rest. I don't believe the commander is going to rest until she has Doctor T'Soni back." She turned back to her patients, letting him leave the medbay.

He walked out into the mess to find Adam sitting next to Jack, both of them eating ice cream. He stopped for a moment and watched, as they hadn't yet noticed him.

"What is it called," Adam asked the small, tattooed woman, his little hands clutching the cone, his tongue darting out to taste the sweet treat.

"It's ice cream," came Jack's reply. She watched him for a moment, remembering the first time she'd had it herself. It had been better than any of the sex she'd had up to that point in her life. Granted, the sex had all been forced, as she was only fourteen when she'd finally had the opportunity to try the treat for the first time.

"It's cold," Adam stated, tilting his head at the treat in his hand.

Jack laughed. "Yeah it's  _ice_  cream. Sugar and cream, and probably some other stuff, that's frozen."

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"Ice."

Jack just blinked. Then her eyes narrowed. Damn kid didn't know what ice was? Another thing to hate Cerberus for, in her opinion. Lawson worked for Cerberus, and Lawson had fathered and owned the little boy. And treated him like dirt. Jack was tempted to let out a string of expletives, but held back. She'd seen the boy's mother shoot Lawson right in his fucking face for threatening the boy. She was pretty confident she could take the woman, but she'd been there, a slave, used for her body. She'd been lucky she hadn't ended up pregnant, too. Of course, with as often as she'd been beaten, she may have and wouldn't have known it.

Kaidan finally stirred, moving to the kitchen area and getting himself some ice cream, too. Why not? Then he joined the child and the "psychotic biotic." "When things get too cold, they freeze, go from a liquid to a solid," he explained, licking his own cone. Jack scowled at him, clearly letting him know that he hadn't been invited. He just shrugged.

"Oh." Adam took another lick of the ice cream. He clearly liked it, just had never come across anything like it before. Given that the estate probably had all the modern conveniences, Kaidan guessed that he'd merely never been  _allowed_  anything like it before.

"You sittin' here for a reason, Boy Scout?" Jack continued to glare at Kaidan, her entire demeanor unwelcoming.

Kaidan shrugged again. "He didn't know what ice was, I thought I'd explain. And I wanted to congratulate you on the prank you pulled on Miranda." Jack's eyes widened in surprise that he knew. "She walked onto the bridge without it. Williams told us."

Jack grinned. "That obvious under the shirt, huh? I figured it would be." She relaxed. If he appreciated it, if he trusted her not to brag too inappropriately around the boy, then she supposed he could stay.

"Miranda's my sister," piped up Adam before Jack could further expound upon her conquest in the AI core.

Kaidan looked at him in surprise. "Oh?"

Adam nodded vigorously. "My father was her father, too." Jack knew this already, of course, but didn't know the boy knew, and Kaidan hadn't known at all. "She said we could stay with her. Momma said something about her mother and father, and Liara going with her…" He contemplated his ice cream for a moment, then looked up to Jack. "What's school? And getting married?"

Jack blinked, momentarily dumbfounded. She looked up to Kaidan for help. He just chuckled. It was going to be a long conversation, but he was okay with that. He loved kids.

* * *

"I see the shuttle. Set us down right there, so they don't see us. We'll approach on foot." Shepard leaned back in the seat, her armor creaking.

They all set out in full armor this time, no longer needing the element of surprise. They'd shot their way through the embassies, and were in a C-Sec squad car – they'd announced their presence on the station pretty thoroughly.

"Are you  _sure_  you don't know what's going on, Skipper?"

Shepard sighed. "No, I don't. Anderson has no new information, and no one else is willing to talk to me." She fiddled with her helmet.

Ashley considered for a moment. "But no one knew where she was. I mean, except her mother, right? So how'd they know they needed to kidnap her from the ship? How'd they know she was there?"

EDI's voice came to all of them through their ear buds. "I have an answer to that question, Lieutenant-Commander. When I reintegrated with the ship, I became aware of a program designed to capture data and transmit it. The program was hidden within another program that is vital to my running of the ship, but which was shut down while I was isolated from the ship's systems. I have purged the program, and will scan for programs like it going forward."

Shepard spoke up. "A virus… What did it do? Who put it there?"

"It was part of the original Cerberus programming. It was a way to spy on the crew, to identify all new arrivals and send the information to Cerberus. As I've never been separated from the Normandy's systems before, I had never had the opportunity to restart my functions. When I did, I found this program and shut it down. It should not be a problem any longer."

"So they got Samantha and Liara, found out Liara is a Prothean expert, or the daughter of a powerful matriarch-"

"Or maybe that you two are fucking," snorted Ashley, blocking the smack that came her way. Tali giggled in the back seat next to her, offering her a high five that Ashley gladly accepted. "Well? They knew who you were, probably knew you were getting it on. Maybe they're just trying to use her against you?"

Shepard ceased her attempts to hit her XO as the squad car touched down. "Maybe… But if they're after me, then why not take Samantha and Adam, too? I probably spent more time with the kid while I was on that rock than I did with either of the girls, at least in daylight…" Her cheeks reddened a little. She was used to being able to talk about sex with no problem, but this was a little specific, and involved  _two_  women. This was a little outside the realm of her experience when it came to boasting.

"Damn, Shepard, you certainly are the Lady's, uh… Lady," Garrus finished lamely.

Shepard didn't even respond. Instead, she jumped out of the car, slammed her helmet on, and contacted Anderson. "Admiral, do you have the Council?"

His voice came back clearly.  _"Yes, Commander, I'm in the embassies with Councilor Tevos and Matriarch Benezia; Valern, and Sparatus are on their way. Udina is in C-Sec custody. As a precaution, we've had all human C-Sec officers detained until this is all sorted out. I'm told several are missing, though."_

Shepard swore as she began to run. "How many?"

_"About fifty, give or take. We've only had a few minutes to begin enacting these safety measures. Some of them could just be at home in bed."_

"And if they're not, then that's enough to storm the embassies by force and take the station from there. Cock. I'll keep in touch. And make sure to let me know if anything changes. Shepard out."

* * *

Anderson acknowledged Shepard's disconnect, looking around Councilor Tevos' office. Benezia sat on a divan along the wall, and Councilors Valern and Sparatus were on their way with armed escort.

"Are you sure of what is happening?" Tevos stood next to him, scrolling through the display on her omnitool.

"Yes, Councilor, I'm sure. I was there when Shepard took Udina down, when he confessed to his involvement. I was also there to retake the Normandy after their infiltration team used its crew as target practice." He tried desperately to keep the bitterness from his voice. He reminded himself that she was only hearing about this, and had not witnessed it. He reminded himself that she'd never been in battle, had never had to go from blood and emptied bowels to diplomatic situations on the turn of a dime. It didn't help a whole lot.

"I see. I am sure-"

But he didn't find out what she was sure about, as she was cut off by the door sliding open. He turned, expecting to find the other councilors with their armed contingents. He instead found a light-skinned man with a broken nose in an Alliance uniform and a dark-skinned man in a tight-fitting leather uniform leading a barefoot asari in at gunpoint. Anderson reached for his sidearm, but had a pistol in his face before it could be fully drawn.

"I don't think so," growled the man with the broken nose, taking his gun and quickly frisking him for other weapons. He then pointed his gun at the asari councilor and spoke. "This is how it's going to work. No funny business, no biotics, or I shoot the councilor in the head. When the other councilors get here, they join us." He looked around expectantly. When he got no response, he nodded to the other man, who released his grip on the asari's arm and shoved her into the room.

"Liara," gasped Matriarch Benezia, running forward from her seat in an entirely undignified manner. Liara stood rooted to the spot, Benezia's arms encircling her and pulling her into an embrace. "My dear daughter, my heart…"

Benezia smelled the same. She felt the same. And as her mind reached out and brushed against Liara's, her eyes swirling black, she noted that her mother's mind felt remarkably familiar, as well. She'd forgotten what a meld was like with someone of her own species. She hadn't melded with her mother since she was a child.

Her mother's gentle presence began probing, and Liara granted access, holding nothing back when she felt the calm reassurance and love emanating from the other.

_Liara stands before her would-be captors, her body encased in the blue flame of her biotics. Their guns trained on her companions and colleagues tay her hand, however, and the metal collar is snapped around her neck, extinguishing her only hope of defending herself._

A stab of fury came to her after these images, but she surged ahead.

_A string of owners, all abusing her body, some violently, all male, mostly Batarian. Her life settles into a dull routine, her mind receding into itself whenever the use of her body is required._

_Lawson purchases her, taking her to his bed that night. It is a week before she is sent on to Filebar without him._

_A dusky-skinned woman, large with child, smiling warmly in welcome, eyes downcast out of habit. She cannot take her eyes off the creature in front of her. Samantha. They become fast friends._

_Screaming and blood and pain, no midwife or doctor, and Adam comes crying into the world. She aids the woman in her first breastfeeding, then cleans up the afterbirth. The next day proceeds as normal._

_An infant Adam lies asleep in Samantha's bed. His mother is saying something to her, moving closer. Liara is captivated by her eyes. She suddenly finds them to be very close, and then she is kissing Samantha. Her heart swells. She takes the woman into her arms and makes love to her, her first time, finding that her ability to Join has not been hampered, at the very least._

_Years pass. Adam grows. Liara takes away Samantha's pain whenever she is called to their master's bedroom. Sometimes they are summoned to Lawson's bed together. Sometimes, they are used as entertainment for guests, or as a reward for employees who are particularly loyal. They do their best to endure it, and Join after each encounter to calm the ache and hurt in each other's hearts._

_Adam grows, comes to know her as a second parent. She comes to know him as her son, an entirely alien concept for her people._

_It is Adam's fourth birthday, and she is kissing the newcomer after having discovered that she is to be taken from this awful place._

_It is a week later, and she is lying in Samantha's arms, the red-haired human curled protectively behind her dark-skinned lover._

_Another week passes, every night filled with passion and comfort, an understanding coming to her that she is in love with both of these women._

_She holds Lawson in stasis, readying herself for the killing blow, when Samantha marches past her and puts a bullet in his head._

_She makes passionate love to Samantha and Shepard on the Normandy, her first time doing so free, without the bondage of the collar._

Liara's eyes changed color very slowly. When she found herself back in the present, she blinked, a little unsteady on her feet, though only a moment or two had passed.

Benezia pulled away from the embrace, cupping her daughter's cheek. "My dear, you have been through so much. I am sorry I could not find you sooner."

"Enough," barked the man who had done all the speaking thus far. "Do that again, and I shoot her." He shoved his gun into Tevos' temple for emphasis.

Anderson spoke up. "Shepard's on her way here. We took the ship back. You  _aren't_  going to win."

Liara just stared, processing the information. She examined the man with the broken nose, noting that his skin was light like Lawson's had been, his hair also similar to the dead man's. His resemblance to her captor, and the fact that he had abducted her and was holding a very old friend at gunpoint, having used the lives of those she cared for to do it, awakened something deep within her. Her family was safe. She could act.

As he began scrolling through Tevos' terminal, presumably to contact his superiors, the room bloomed with her biotics, knocking both men to the floor, Taylor's pistol clattering away from him. She strode forward on her bare feet, knocking the gun out of the light-skinned man's hand as he brought it back in her direction and capturing his throat with one biotically wreathed fist. She held him aloft for a second, staring into his eyes. She saw nothing there, no compassion, no remorse, only anger and hatred, possibly a little disgust. And so, feeling no remorse for making him just as dead as he'd planned to make her family, she let her biotics surge forth, and she squeezed his throat, crushing his windpipe and snapping his neck.

Taylor watched her, terrified, his gun on the ground a meter or two away.  _His_  eyes she hesitated with, pleading and full of terror as they were, but all the memories of the things he'd allowed to happen, things he himself had done, flooded through her as she looked into them. Times she'd been taken on Lawson's desk while Taylor stood in the room, awaiting his employer's convenience, watching hungrily; times she'd watched him kick out at Adam while he ran by, unable to keep him from doing so without fear of severe punishment; the time, not long before Shepard arrived, that she watched him drag Samantha away from her and Adam, taking his reward for doing some favor for Lawson. The anger that had awakened within her, that had enabled her to kill the man now dead on the floor, caused the blue flame she was lightly encased in to bloom into an inferno. She extended her hands, curling her fingers in the air as if caressing two cheeks, and yanked.

His head jerked to the side, as if led by the chin, and his neck snapped.

She looked up, still encased in blue, to find her mother, Councilor Tevos, and Admiral Anderson staring at her, awe clearly marked on their faces. The room was dead silent.

Benezia finally broke the silence. "Well, Little Wing… I suppose you listened during your training with Shiala."

Liara couldn't help it. She laughed, feeling the tension slide away along with the dark energy she still had coursing over her skin. She nodded, then came to her mother, embracing her once more.

Anderson met the matriarch's eyes over Liara's shoulder. " _This_  is the person Shepard rescued from Filebar?"

She nodded. "Yes, Admiral. My daughter, Liara T'Soni."

Their embrace ended, and Liara turned, taking Anderson's extended hand as he spoke. "Dr. T'Soni, once this is all over, I hope you'll be willing to consider a proposal the Alliance has." He let go of her hand.

"I will certainly listen, Admiral. But right now, I hope only to secure the safety of my family."

"Right. Let me just get in touch with Shepard… What's that?"

A beeping had started on Tevos' terminal. Tevos finally managed to move from her position of shock to check it.

"This is not good, Admiral. He shut down security in the entire building. There are armed troops in the Tower."

Anderson rounded on the spot, searching for the guns from the two men while slapping his earbud. "Shepard! We have trouble!"

* * *

They made their way through the Presidium, turning and clearing corners methodically, working as the cohesive unit they'd become when the two humans had met the two aliens. They didn't run into anyone, however, as C-Sec had cleared the streets of civilians, and they covered the distance to the shuttle's landing space quite quickly. Shepard could feel her pulse quickening. She didn't know what to expect around the last corner, but she sure as hell hoped it wasn't a dead asari.

Static filled her ear for a second, then:  _"Shepard!"_  It was Anderson's voice.  _"We've got trouble!"_

She spoke while she jogged behind Garrus, Tali, and Ashley. "What's wrong?"

_"The two that took your asari friend showed up here. We took care of them-"_

"Is Liara safe?"

_"Yes, she actually was the one to take care of them. But before they were incapacitated, they shut down security to the entire building. We've got armed Cerberus actively taking over the Council chambers, Shepard. The coup is underway."_

"Cock! Fuck! Okay, we're almost there, and I've got backup on its way. I'll organize anyone I see on my way. Keep everyone safe, we'll be there to get you out as soon as we can."

_"Right you are. Anderson out."_

"Garrus!"

He didn't even slow down as he jogged ahead. "That didn't sound good, Shepard. What do you need?"

"Coup is in progress. Get your lazy-ass C-Sec buddies here  _now_!" As he began yelling into his earbud on a different frequency, she contacted the Normandy. "Samantha?!"

 _"I heard it all, Commander. I'm glad Liara is safe, but you have bigger worries right now."_  Shepard's heart melted at the woman's understanding. She was beginning to see what made her so good in the Alliance (she'd looked up her - very impressive - service record); she may not be a marine, but she could certainly coordinate them, and prioritize their needs, and she could do it very well.

"Thanks, Sam. Has the shuttle left yet?"

_"Yes, Miranda, Jack, Kaidan, James, Steve, and a handful of uninjured from your crew left just a few minutes after you did."_

She counted in her head. "Wait a minute, what about Baxter?"

_"No one told you? Damn. Baxter was injured during his fight with Lieutenant-Commander Williams and Officer Vakarian. He – well, both Doctor Chakwas and the veterinarian that came aboard a few minutes ago agree he will lose his leg. His Achilles tendon was severed."_

Shepard inhaled sharply in sympathy. "Fuck… Fuck. Poor boy. He's going to live?"

_"Yes, Jane, he is going to live. As are you, and Liara, and me, and Adam. Now go make sure of it."_

"Right. Shepard out." She looked ahead of her, seeing Ashley's retreating backside. "There a reason you didn't tell me you almost got my damn dog killed, Ash?"

"Head in the game, Shepard. Doc said he'd live, so I saw no reason in telling you until we're done trying to avoid a damn war." She huffed, breathing in hard. "Ma'am."

"Fair enough."  _Fuck. When am I gonna catch a break?_  She pushed ahead.

When they rounded a bend that revealed the Tower, she stopped, taking it all in. Every C-Sec agent that would have been on guard outside was dead on the ground, each in his or her own pool of blood. Upon closer examination, they were riddled with bullet holes. She walked forward cautiously, rifle raised, motioning her squad to fan out. They didn't have much choice but to wait outside until backup arrived – four against fifty were not odds she liked.

"So we're back here," commented Ashley, looking up at the tower a moment before continuing her trek of the perimeter.

Shepard sighed. "Yeah. I'm gettin' sick of this place. If we end up back on the Normandy and then back here again, I think I'll just puke."

Garrus chuckled.

"Perimeter secured, Skipper."

"Great, now we just need to wait for the other shuttle… And there it is." The unmarked extraction shuttle came into view, descending and settling next to their other shuttle. Out swarmed Miranda, Jack, James, Kaidan, Steve, and a few marines that had been assigned to her ship, all armored and armed to the teeth. She signaled them over, and they quickly worked out a plan.

The plan, in typical Shepard – and Ashley – fashion, involved a lot of firepower and aggressive moves. They chose to get inside and bludgeon the Cerberus forces as brutally as possible, as quickly as possible, from behind, using surprise and force to compensate for their lack of numbers. Their plan ended up not being needed, however; they moved past dead C-Sec officers, sparing only moments to double-check that they were, indeed, dead as they looked for the Cerberus forces in C-Sec uniforms.

The problem was that they just weren't finding the soldiers they were supposed to be killing. They encountered pockets here and there, but the Tower was surprisingly empty, considering that there were supposed to be fifty armed men storming it. It kept her squad healthy, but she didn't like that forty (they'd shot all of ten so far) armed men were converging on one Alliance admiral and several civilians. Trying to quell the clenching in her gut, she pressed on, trying to be methodical about clearing all rooms while also hurrying to the aid of a woman she'd sworn herself she would protect.

* * *

"Admiral, let us help you." Anderson turned to see all three asari standing resolutely, identical glowing fists at their sides.

"None of you are soldiers. Get down!" He ducked as his thermal clip overheated, Sparatus doing the same. They'd been joined in Tevos' office not long after speaking with Shepard. Their escort had stopped to attempt to neutralize the Cerberus soldiers that had rounded the corner, sending the two of them on alone to take refuge in Tevos' office. They were now exchanging fire through the malfunctioning door, Valern, who had no biotic or military training, was cowering behind cover in a back corner.

Anderson felt a swirl of dark energy pass him as he popped back up to return fire and watched as a group of four soldiers were lifted bodily into the air, swirling around a black and purple distortion in the air. Sparatus wasted no time in taking out the soldiers in the air, another biotic attack being hurled at the soldiers attempting to come through the door. He dropped back behind cover, turning to see what the three women were up to.

Benezia was standing wreathed in biotic flame, a distorted mass of dark energy gathering between her hands. Liara was throwing all of her concentration into widening the radius of the singularity-like distortion by the door, picking up more soldiers as they came through the door. Tevos was sending energy hurtling along the floor toward the door, sending one trooper into the air, delaying the rest of those trying to make it through the small opening in the malfunctioning door.

Anderson was still crouching behind the sofa when he saw it happen. A stray bullet made it to the matriarch, striking right in the middle of the energy she was amassing to herself. It detonated, lighting the room up like a flash bang grenade, a terrible exploding sound accompanying it a moment later. Even though he was already on the floor, he was knocked to his back. Liara and Tevos hit the ground a moment later, Sparatus and Valern being thrown bodily into the wall.

He shook his head, clearing his vision and hearing. Liara cried out for her mother, who lay in a growing pool of deep blue blood. Then she was on her feet, running the few feet to the sofa Anderson and Sparatus had been using for cover, launching herself over it without a backward glance. Anderson called out, trying to get her to stop, but when he managed finally to get off the ground, he only saw the retreating blue soles of her bare feet. Then the door was biotically slammed shut, and he only heard cries of agony.

* * *

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck_ _fuck_ _! Why is there no one here?!_

Shepard and her squad ran, pushing themselves, the tension in the entire group building until it was almost a tangible thing. The tower should not be this devoid of attacking soldiers. And it should not be so  _silent_.

Suddenly, the sound of biotic detonation filled her ears, followed by a flash from around a distant corner. When they rounded the corner, Shepard stopped dead in her tracks, Tali ramming into her with a muffled  _oof_.

She'd been worried about finding a dead asari.

It wasn't a dead asari.

It was a dead  _everyone else_.

Ashley whistled low, swearing under her breath as they all took in the scene before them. Liara stood among a sea of dead human C-Sec agents. She examined the first few men she came across, her gun still up in case anything moved. There were no gunshot wounds, or any open wound of any kind. They were just  _dead_.

As she closed on Liara, the asari turned around, still wreathed in blue flame, a fierce look in her blue eyes. When she saw Shepard, though, the flame died, and she found the asari in her arms within two heartbeats.

"Jane!"

"Liara! What the fuck happened?!" Shepard held tight to the woman for a second, gesturing with her head to her squad to check out the rest of the men on the ground. Then Liara pushed herself away, looking up into her eyes. She wasn't sure what to read there.

"I stopped Cerberus." She blinked, shook her head, and then seemed to come out of a slight daze. "My mother! She is injured! We must hurry, Jane!"

"Benezia is… fuck. Okay. Ash! Secure the area, we're headed inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I don't actually have much against Jacob Taylor's character in-game. I used him without quite knowing where this all was going. And then, when it came time to have a henchman, I'd already used him in that role, so I just continued to use him. I don't feel that bad though - in my opinion, he's the male version of Kelly Chambers in-game: kind of annoying, and not very interesting.


	14. Chapter 14

_"Samantha?"_

"Yes, Commander?"

_"I've got Liara. She…"_

"What happened?" Samantha's tone was clipped. Images fluttered through her mind that she tried desperately to quell.

_"Nothing. Well, she killed almost fifty armed men with only her biotics, saved the fucking day before we ever shot our guns, but, you know, nothing much to write home about."_

Samantha was dumbfounded. And relieved. "She always told me her biotics were very strong. I had no idea."

_"Yeah. I kinda want video, so I can see what she did."_

Samantha chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."

_"She was amazing, but we do have some casualties. Her mother is badly injured, and she's not doing so hot herself. I need Chakwas down here for her. Huerta Memorial's already sending doctors to treat her mother."_

Samantha's brow furrowed as she notified the doctor that she was needed off the ship. After all this time, all this effort, for her mother to get her back, just to die now? "I should be there…"

_"You're right where you need to be. We're doing what we can. I've got Liara. How's it going on your end? How's Adam"_

Samantha considered. She knew Shepard was probably attempting to distract her, and she was okay with it working. The only person she cared more about than Shepard and Liara was her son. "Adam is fine. He's with the doctor now. He had his first ice cream cone with Jack. He interrogated her and Kaidan, and I'm sure he's been doing so with Chakwas as well."

_"Oh, God, I can only imagine the kinds of things he was asking her..."_

"He asked her what school and marriage were, and if three people can marry. Apparently, he listens a lot more attentively when I'm talking than I thought. I guess he's reached that age. I'll have to be more careful with what I say. Of course, given your penchant for swearing, I have the most to worry about with  _you_."

Shepard's laughter reached her through her ear bud. _"So he's doing okay from earlier, then?"_

"He's remarkably elastic in that way. He always has been. Now that I know he's empathic, I have some idea of why. If he's constantly feeding off our emotions, then he  _would_  be more emotionally mature than a normal four-year-old. Now come back. I want my family whole again."

_"We'll be there soon. First, we need to clean up in here."_

Samantha sighed. "Yes, alright." She paused, then, "Thank you, Jane. You've done an impressive job so far of taking care of our family."

She didn't let Shepard respond, cutting off the communication as Adam ran up to her. She waved to Chakwas, who was by the airlock with a med-kit, ready to go treat Liara and anyone else who might need it. She pulled him onto her lap and listened as he and Joker bantered back and forth, letting it distract her from her worry over Liara.

* * *

Liara looked into her mother's blue eyes, so much paler than her own, and fought back tears. Her mother was barely conscious. Anderson had field-dressed her wounds, using his small reserve of medigel on her, but Liara knew her mother would not survive – there was too much damage to repair. Biotic damage of the kind she suffered tore tissue apart on the molecular level, ripping electrons from the atoms that made up the cell walls. Knowing the science behind it only made it more horrific for her.

Shepard watched Liara as Chakwas examined her, pronouncing her physically healthy, if dehydrated and in need of a good meal and rest. When the doctor was through, she immediately took the asari into her arms, holding her tightly against her side, letting her block everything else out by tucking her face into Shepard's armored shoulder.

The councilors would be treated at Huerta Memorial, following behind Benezia at a more leisurely pace with an armed C-Sec escort.

Anderson waved off any attempt for treatment, instead walking over to Shepard. He looked haggard, but his step was as sure as ever.

"You doing okay, Anderson?"

He waved dismissively at her. "Fine, fine. All things considered, that could have turned out a lot worse than it did. We'll have to give you some kind of medal, Dr. T'Soni."

She smiled weakly, removing herself from Shepard's arms and standing on her own. "Thank you, Admiral. I only wish I had acted sooner. I could have spared my mother's life, and myself a great deal of pain. I… Commander, I will await you at the hospital."

Shepard studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Have James and Steve walk with you. I want some of my people with the Council anyway." Liara nodded, and turned to depart. "And tell them to get you some shoes, dammit!" It was enough; she saw a faint smile on Liara's face as she turned to look at back, acknowledging the comment.

"She really was remarkable, Shepard. As soon as she learned that the ship was under our control, she unleashed like I've never seen before. And when her mother was downed? She didn't even hesitate. And she's an archaeologist? No biotics for a decade? Imagine if she'd been a commando. You realize not one of the troopers out in the hall has an open wound? They all died from brute force or snapped necks. I've never seen anything like it."

"Yeah, well, remind me not to piss her off, like,  _ever_."

"About that. I don't remember getting romantically involved with your target being a  _thing_."

Shepard scratched the back of her neck sheepishly, a faint blush dancing across her cheeks. "It wasn't exactly  _planned_ , sir. It just-" she looked up at him and shrugged "-happened."

A half-smile formed on his lips. "Yes, well. It's a good thing it all worked out. As it is, I've been assured by all three of the councilors that you will indeed be inducted as the first human Spectre – yes, even Sparatus," he added at her look of surprise.

"I… wow… So, no more sneaky under-cover ops?" She knew her tone was perhaps a little too hopeful, but she didn't care. He already knew she was fucking the two women she'd saved; she didn't really think she needed to keep her hope for this shit to be  _done_  out of her voice.

He chuckled. "Yes. I think you'll be a little too  _recognizable_  after the ceremony. You'll be trading the nicknames and sidekick in for autographs and probably your fair share of death threats. You're the Savior of the Citadel now, Shepard; and the first Human Spectre to boot. Everyone's gonna know who you are."

"Given that I have people shooting at me every other day, I think I can handle the death threats, sir."

"Yes, well, you just come talk to me when you have to move because some obsessed hanar starts bioluminescing at you through your bedroom window." Shepard snorted, shaking her head and slapping him on the shoulder.

"I need to stop by the ship. Change, get Specialist Traynor, check on Baxter. He was injured. Probably gonna be a Tripod dog now."

"Damn. He's a good dog. Will he at least be able to stud?"

"I hope so, otherwise I'm gonna hafta pay for his treatment out of my own damn pocket."

Anderson shook his head, smiling. "C'mon, Commander, let's get you out of here." His expression sobered. "I don't think Doctor T'Soni can wait very long."

* * *

"How is he?"

"He'll be fine, Commander." The veterinarian had a British accent, serving as yet another reminder to Shepard that she needed to get Samantha and Adam and get to the hospital as soon as possible.

The vet had treated Baxter in the ship's med bay. "The surgery was successful: the leg was removed at the hip. He'll be able to accept the synthetic replacement as early as tomorrow."

That caught Shepard's attention. "A robot leg? You can do that?"

He chuckled. "Yes. It is far cheaper, and faster, than growing a clone, and has almost as low a chance of rejection as the clone. I understand he won't be able to serve under-cover any longer, but all other functions, military and otherwise, should be restored."

Shepard thought for a moment. "So he'll able to make little Baxters?"

The vet snorted. "Yes, he will be able to procreate, Commander."

"Good. He's a good dog; it would be a shame if we couldn't breed him. It would also make it less likely that the Alliance would pay for the replacement." She eyed him pointedly.

She watched comprehension dawn on the vet's face. "Ah, I see. Well, even if his body rejects it, you can always have a professional collect a sperm sample for breeding purposes."

"Right. Hire someone to jack my dog off. I'll remember that." She smirked, holding out her hand to him. "Doc, I appreciate the help. I can't imagine what kind of pain he went through."

"It's no trouble at all. Now, go, let him rest. He'll wake up later tonight, and you can help me get him to move around a little."

"Sounds like a plan, Doc. Keep me updated on his condition?" At his affirmative nod, she left the med bay and headed for the elevator, intending to hit the Nest. On her way, she called for Samantha.

The door slid open a few minutes later, revealing Samantha and Adam, just as Shepard was sliding her arms into one of her uniform shirts. She indicated a folded uniform on the bed after hugging Adam and asking him to sit quietly for a moment.

"Put that on, then we'll go to the hospital."

Samantha hesitated when she got close enough to see what it was. "… Are you sure? I haven't been enlisted for years."

"You performed your duties admirably today. I had Anderson correct the MIA records for you, and it left you as an active member of the Alliance. You can resign whenever you like, but until you do, you're one of us,  _Specialist_  Traynor." A half-smile formed as she finished.

Samantha was awed. She hadn't considered that she would be listed as MIA. She was absolutely touched that Shepard considered her to still be "one of us," as she'd said. "But, I wasn't missing in action – I was on leave, visiting my parents…"

"The slaver raid was an act of terrorism on a Human colony, and you were a member of the Alliance. You were listed MIA, and now you're considered to have been a POW, returned to us." Shepard finished fastening her shirt, fixing her officer's bars to it before coming to stand before Samantha. She placed a hand on each of her lover's shoulders. "You earned it, Samantha. Now, get dressed. I even scrounged up a pair of boots that should fit you. Adam will have to keep being barefoot for now, but I don't think he'll mind. It's not like he's ever worn shoes before…"

"I- Thank you, Jane. Commander. Dammit, what do I call you?"

Shepard smirked. "Call me whatever you want when we're alone. Otherwise, either 'Commander' or 'Shepard.' Or 'Lola,' I guess. James doesn't seem to care who's around when he calls me that." She shrugged. "I'm really kinda laid-back when I'm the most senior officer around. I pull rank when I need to, but it's rare."

Samantha disrobed, putting the uniform on almost reverently. Shepard moved to the couch to sit by Adam, who promptly crawled into her lap. She wrapped her arms around his stomach and buried her face in his hair, filling her nose with the smell that she had come to associate with his warm little body cuddling into hers. She never thought she would be  _this_  into cuddling a little kid, and yet here she was, doing just that, of her own volition.

Samantha finished quietly, fastening her boots and straightening her shirt into place. When she looked up, seeing Shepard's face buried in her son's neck, holding him tight, her heart practically melted. She couldn't help it; she went to them, sitting next to them and pulling Shepard, still holding Adam, into her arms. It was a little awkward, but it worked, and they sat like that for a moment, just _being_  together in silence.

Shepard finally pulled away, reluctantly, and stood up, shifting Adam to her hip. "Alright, let's go."

Samantha nodded and took Shepard's offered hand.

* * *

"Little Wing, I am so glad that you are well. I feared I would never find you, that you would be dead."

Benezia lay in a hospital bed. The doctors had done everything they could, but the simple fact was that there was no way to recover from the blast she suffered at such close range. She would fall asleep, and her body would shut down. She was given a few hours at most.

Liara, sitting at her bedside, ducked her head, overcome with such conflicting emotions: happiness to be free, to have her mother before her with no ill will between them, but in terrible agony over her impending death. "The very fact that you were looking for me all that time… I do not know what to say. Thank you, Mother."

"You do not need to thank me, Liara. You are my daughter; I could not live without knowing your fate. I am glad I chose the right person to secure your freedom."

Liara's heartbeat quickened. In addition to her conflicting emotions regarding this reunion with her mother, she was also anxious about her unique familial situation. Would her mother approve? Would she acknowledge Adam as a grandchild?

"Much has happened to you, my daughter. Will you not introduce me to the family you seem to have gained?"

Well, that answered  _that_  question.

"I would be happy to, Mother. Give me a moment; I do not know if they have returned from the ship." She got up and left the room, heading for the lobby.

She didn't make it all the way there. She passed by a waiting room, glancing inside, and then stopped, intrigued. She saw Shepard's profile, Adam sitting on her shoulders, holding on to her cheeks. She was murmuring softly to another soldier in a similar uniform. It took her a moment to realize that the other soldier was Samantha, and when she did, she was through the door at a run.

She flung herself into Samantha's arms, Samantha barely realizing it was Liara before the woman was weeping into her chest. She watched as Shepard put Adam down and placed one hand on Liara's back. Liara reached behind her blindly, grabbing a fistful of Shepard's tunic and pulling her close. Shepard reached her arms around both of them and held on tightly.

The spell was broken when Adam came up to Liara's side and gently tugged on her pant leg. She pushed away slightly, wiping tears from her cheeks and smiling down at the boy who had come to be family. He reached his arms up wordlessly, and she bent down to pick him up.

"You look quite dashing in your uniform, Samantha," she said, straightening the shirt out with one hand as she held Adam to her hip with the other.

Samantha smiled, stilling Liara's hand and wiping a tear from her face. She moved her hand from Liara's face to Shepard's, now resting on Liara's shoulder, and caressed it. Her family was in front of her, whole and safe, thanks to both of these women.

Liara looked down into Adam's face. "Would you like to meet my mother, Adam?"

Adam considered her for a moment, his head tilted much like Baxter's would be. "Yes," he finally answered, but kept his brow furrowed. "Why are you so sad, Liara?"

"Oh, baby-" Samantha began, but Liara cut her off.

"It is fine, Samantha. If he is going to meet her, then he should know beforehand." She addressed the boy. "My mother was injured quite badly during the fight. She is still alive, but she will not survive. I- I told her that you, Samantha, and Lola are my family, and she asked to meet you."

"Oh." He looked at her a moment, then lunged forward from his seat on her hip, throwing his arms around her neck. He didn't say anything else, but Liara took great comfort from the embrace; not only was he extraordinarily good at hugging, he was also acknowledging what she had said, that they were family.

She took stock a moment, feeling Samantha's hand on her hip, the other on Adam's back. Adam's face was tucked into her shoulder, and Shepard was pressed to Liara's back, her head lowered so they were cheek to cheek, her nose buried firmly in Adam's hair. Her heart swelled, comforting the sadness that was trying to take up permanent residence there. Her thoughts mirrored Samantha's: her family was here, whole and safe.

"We should go," she finally said, taking Samantha's hand with her free one and leading them all through the door.

Shepard pulled back and walked behind the other three, hands clasped behind her back. She was sure Benezia knew of the complicated nature of their relationship, but thought it best to approach the meeting as professionally as possible, given how she had met the woman in the first place.

The walk to the hospital room was quite short. Shepard hesitated at the door, wondering if she should just give them a moment, feeling a little like an intruder. Liara noticed, though, and let go of Samantha to reach for Shepard's hand, pulling her into the room with them.

It was disconcerting to see Benezia like this. The last time Shepard had seen her, the matriarch had been standing tall, looking determined, and radiating power. She still radiated power, despite her weakened state, but she looked so  _small_. She looked nothing like the powerful spiritual lead that she was with her headdress removed, covered only in a hospital gown, lying under a thin hospital blanket. She did look remarkably like Liara with her face showing like that, though, the same markings above her eyes, the same freckle-like markings over her cheeks – almost  _human_. A pain shot through her heart at the sight of the woman.

"Mother, this is… my family." They were all reluctant to voice the things aloud they had shared through their melds, but no one objected, and Benezia had no reaction whatsoever to the declaration. "This is Samantha," Benezia nodded in her direction, a rare smile on her face, "and her-  _our_  son, Adam." It was the first time she'd said it aloud. It felt good, right.

"Hello, Little One," Benezia almost whispered, her eyes zeroing in on the small boy in Liara's arms, her smile widening. "I was hoping I could meet you." He said nothing, becoming remarkably shy and burying his face in Liara's shoulder.

Liara just smiled and sat with him on the edge of her mother's bed, letting him be shy. "And this is Jane, though I know you have already met."

Benezia eyed Shepard critically. "Indeed, we have."

"Ma'am," said Shepard, feeling suddenly quite self-conscious and wishing she had something to do with her hands. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner. I-"

Benezia held up a hand. "Hush. You saved my daughter. And the family I did not know she had. For this I am grateful. I am only sorry that I will not be able to watch you join this family, as it appears you are on the brink of doing."

Shepard blushed, the red hue obvious on her pale skin.  _When is that gonna stop embarrassing the shit out of me?_

Benezia turned to Samantha. "Dear, please, come closer. I would see your face." Samantha stepped closer, and Benezia reached out, cupping her cheek and looking into her eyes. "You are beautiful. I can see why my daughter was drawn to you." She chuckled at Samantha's blush and continued. "Please, tell me about yourself, and your son. I would like to know how my family has expanded."

Shepard listened as Samantha haltingly began her tale. She spoke of her studies while in University, her time in the Alliance, her parents, the colony she grew up on. She spoke of some of Adam's accomplishments, trying desperately to glean over the sadness of the time she'd had with him thus far. Liara's presence helped. The asari told her own stories of the boy, things that had happened while Samantha wasn't around.

While they spoke, Adam slowly got over his shyness, and by the time a half hour had passed he was nuzzling into Benezia, allowing her to hold him to her side much how his mother often did. She smiled down at him from time to time while his two parents spoke with her.

Shepard was just thinking of adding her own tales, about his birthday, and how well he played with Baxter, when her omnitool lit up with an incoming call. She quietly excused herself and stepped out into the hallway, leaving her newfound family to speak with Benezia without her.

She pulled up the screen on her omnitool to find Miranda looking back at her. "What's up, Miranda?"

"I know you're reuniting Liara with her mother, but I found some information for Samantha. As she doesn't have an omnitool yet…"

"Right, gotcha. Can you tell me, or should I go get her?"

Miranda hesitated. "Well, I think it would be best if she were at least  _with_  you while I tell her. Will Adam be alright with just Liara and her mother?"

"He's warming up to Benezia. I think he'll be okay with just the two of them for a few minutes. Gimme a minute, yeah?"

Miranda nodded her assent, and Shepard minimized the screen. She walked back into the hospital room and got everyone's attention.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Samantha for just a minute."

Samantha looked immediately to Adam. "Will you be okay without me for a few minutes?"

"Yes, mama," he replied. He appeared happy, cuddling into Benezia's side, letting her hold one of his hands. She didn't seem like the kind of person to indulge in that kind of affection, especially given what Liara had told her about the woman. But she was over the moon that Benezia could consider Adam a grandchild.

She stepped out of the room with Shepard. "What's wrong?" Her eyebrows were knitted in concern.

"I hope nothing. Miranda asked that I get you before she let me know something she found."

She pulled up the screen on her omnitool, bringing Miranda's face back up. It appeared she was caught off guard, as she was bent down, clearly typing away at something, before noticing them and almost jumping in surprise.

"Oh, sorry, Commander. I thought I'd take care of something while you were away…"

"No problem, Miranda. Now, what's up? You've got me in suspense."

"You have Samantha? Ah, yes, hello, Samantha. I have news of your parents." Samantha's eyes went wide, and she gripped Shepard's arm, hard. "They survived the attack on Horizon. They actually remained and helped with the rebuilding. They have a lovely little farm outside the original settlement now."

"Hey, that's great," Shepard exclaimed. She looked over to Samantha, whose grip had no loosened, and saw the tears ready to begin falling. "Alright, Miranda, we'll be back to the ship when we're done here. Don't know how long we'll be. Thank you for the info." And she cut off the call, turning and taking Samantha in her arms.

Samantha cried. And cried. She cried from happiness, and from sadness. She cried for the time she'd been away, how out of the loop she was. She cried for Liara losing her only known parent while she got to keep both of her own. She cried that Adam would get to know her parents. She cried that her parents would have thought her dead for the last five years. She cried that her family, all of it, was whole and safe. She cried to release the tension of five years of captivity, of not knowing anything about anyone she cared about.

She finally pulled back after several minutes of silent, body-wracking sobs, wiping her eyes, feeling suddenly self-conscious. She looked around quickly, but no one seemed to be staring.

"Thank you, Jane," she finally said, trying to pull back all the way. Shepard wouldn't let her, however, keeping her hands loosely on Samantha's shoulders and looking into her eyes.

"You sure you're okay?"

"God, yes, it's great news! I'm just… overwhelmed. My life has completely changed in the last, what, twenty-four hours? It's a lot to process." She sniffed, wishing for a tissue or handkerchief, and immediately finding a red one, produced with a flourish from Shepard's pocket, in front of her. She took it and used it at Shepard's urging. "You really are the perfect gentleman, aren't you?"

"I try," Shepard said with a smirk.

"Well, you are when you aren't naked, anyway," Samantha amended, smiling devilishly as she turned around, Shepard smacking her ass as she stepped away.

The mood in the next room was jovial, but still with an overtone of sadness. This was their first meeting – Liara's first in over a quarter-century – and would be their last meeting. And it was definitely winding down; Benezia was visibly tiring. Liara looked up at Samantha questioningly, but Samantha wasn't sure if she should reveal the news just yet. It seemed unfair, somehow, even if it was no one's fault.

Liara spared her the need to choose. "I think my mother needs solitude now. I would sit The Watch, if you'll let me, Mother?"

Benezia examined her for a moment, then nodded. At Liara's urging, Samantha took Adam and said her goodbyes, Liara accompanying the three of them out into the hall.

"What's going on, Liara?" Samantha's brows were knit in concern once again.

"Mother has agreed that I will sit The Watch with her. It is a rite of my people, to ease the passing of the dying. Before she loses consciousness, we will meld, and I will experience her life, her memories, with her. I will ease her passing, making sure she has no pain as she passes into unconsciousness. It is… an ancient rite. It stretches back in our ancestral memories to when the asari huddled in caves around fires, hunting and gathering for their survival. It is an honor, though most are not usually so young as I the first time they sit The Watch. But she had me late in life, and I am the only child she decided to have." She cupped Samantha's cheek, then looked to Shepard. "I will contact you both when it is done."

Shepard caught one of Liara's hands in her own. "I take it this is a solo thing?" At Liara's nod, Shepard tugged her into an embrace, engulfing the asari in her strong arms and earthy smell.

"We'll make sure you have a quiet place to process if you need it," promised Samantha as they, too, embraced. Then they left, leaving Liara to enter her mother's hospital room alone.

"Come, Little Wing. I can feel my soul longing for the arms of the Goddess…"

Liara's tears came suddenly and silently. She reached out a hand for her mother's as reached out with her mind, feeling Benezia accept her without hesitation. It was a mental embrace of pure warmth and love.

_Liara is very small. She cannot move her arms and legs very well, and she feels the frustration at not being able to communicate with the large, warm being who holds her and feeds her._

_This was you as an infant, Little Wing. You were so willful, even then. So frustrated at not being able to communicate with me. I think you learned how to control a meld earlier than any other child I have heard of_.

_She has the curious sensation of watching this moment as she experienced it, and through her mother's eyes. She has never remembered this before; somehow, her mother's memory triggers her own memory of it._

_Liara is now watching as her mother takes her to a vast temple. She is still quite young, maybe twenty-five years, barely a teenager by her people's standards. She marvels at the size of the halls she walks through. She again sees and hears through her own awareness, as well as her mother's. She suspects they experience these memories together in the same way._

_Many scenes from their shared past are shown to her, though they are somewhat haphazard, not showing in any particular order. Benezia shares her life with her daughter, commenting on each scene as it unfolds. For the first time in her life, there are no barriers between them. Benezia keeps nothing from her daughter, being completely and utterly honest, letting her see events, experience emotions, as truly as she herself experienced them. Liara is utterly spellbound by the enormity of her mother's life._

_The scene jumps a final time, and Liara is watching as her mother makes love to another asari. The scene is quite chaste, the two of them participating in the Bond only, their clothing on, conceiving a child that would be doomed to a lonely childhood because of her birthright. She watches as the relationship sours, as her mother's belly swells, until they finally part ways permanently, her mother going into labor mere days later. Benezia regrets the split, even if she agrees that it was the correct course of action. She does not regret the child, however, no matter how much those around her think she should._

_A name accompanies the memory of Liara's father, and a hope that she will look for the other asari._

_Her mother's light fades, and she takes control of the meld, easing her mother into unconsciousness before backing out of the meld as gently as possible._

She had a name now; a name, and her mother's dying approval to find the woman. It might take some time, but she would find the asari who had loved her mother so, and fill the hole she had always had in her heart.

* * *

Shepard was trying desperately not to fidget. Samantha didn't know how she could tell, but she could.

She stood holding Adam on her hip, the boy wearing khaki slacks, a while polo shirt, and black dress shoes. He hated them. He had never walked around in shoes before, and he kept trying to take them off when no one was looking, hence her holding him now instead of him standing beside her.

She wore a sundress that stopped at her knees. It was white, flowing, clinging just close enough to her form to show a hint of what lie underneath. She wore sandals on her feet, and her hair was pulled back loosely, a white fascinator tucked in where the tie held her hair in place.

"She is incredibly uncomfortable," observed Liara. She wore a long, flowing white gown, the color incredible against the blue of her skin. As far as Samantha was concerned, she was the most stunning creature in the room.

The asari had recovered well from the death of her mother, though she was obviously not done mourning. She had shared the information about her father with both Samantha and Shepard the night before, and planned to start looking for her soon. For now, though, they stood in the Council chambers with the rest of the Alliance personnel on the station, and anyone else who could get admittance, watching Shepard's somewhat speedy induction into the Spectres.

Shepard had tried to beg out of the ceremony, ending up compromising with a bare-bones, fifteen-minute ceremony that was open to the public. It was now winding down.

"Yes," Samantha responded, shifting Adam to her other hip so she could slide an arm around Liara's waist. They were not used to being this affectionate in public, and both found that, while they were self-conscious about it still, they reveled in being able to touch and comfort each other without having to look over their shoulders. They still  _did_  look over their shoulders – habits are not broken in the course of a day or two – but the fact that it was unneeded made both their hearts lighter.

"Lola never did like the spotlight," commented James, who stood in jeans and a button-front shirt, arm loosely around Steve's shoulder.

"And she hates under-cover ops. What does she like, then," asked Steve, who was dressed similarly to James, looking more at-ease than Samantha or Liara had ever seen him.

James chuckled. "Honestly? I think the only thing she likes is shooting her guns and riding her horses. Well, that and f- uh…  _you_  two ladies," he finished quickly, wincing at the glare Samantha fixed on him.

"If you plan on spending any time around my son,  _Diego_ , then I suggest you learn to school your tongue," Samantha reprimanded, bringing a genuine laugh from everyone surrounding them.

It was quite a party, really. Miranda stood close-by, along with Jack, who, despite her professed hatred of the woman, hadn't been seen outside of her company since the counterattack on the Tower the day before. EDI's matter-of-fact report on their altercation – and subsequent shag on Miranda's desk – over the stolen bra made it pretty clear why. Garrus and Tali stood hand-in-hand, Doctor Chakwas and the rest of the Normandy's crew, including Joker, spread out around them all. Ashley stood with Kaidan at the outskirts of the group, whispering things in his ear that kept making him laugh quietly. If Samantha didn't know any better, she would guess that Ashley had her eye on him.

Liara spoke up after a few minutes. "Steve, what will you do now that you are no longer captive?"

"I don't know, Liara. I mean, I plan on visiting this lug," and he rubbed James' belly affectionately, "whenever I can. But I have some things to take care of. I was in the Alliance before I was captured, and my parents were on Earth at the time. I don't know where they are now, what they've done in the interim."

"That is our plan, as well," Liara said with a nod. "Miranda found Samantha's parents, and we intend to visit them as soon as we can."

"Hey, that's great! I know you've worried about them a lot."

Samantha nodded. "Yes, it was a relief to learn they're alive, and thriving, no less! I just wish it could be like that… well…"

"Samantha, stop, I will be fine," Liara said sternly. "Right now it is a time to celebrate. Look!"

Shepard was saluting Anderson and the Council, and not a moment after Liara brought their attention forward, Shepard turned and saluted them all, unable to keep the grin from her face. All of the Alliance personnel in the room saluted her back, a chorus of cheers rising through the room, drowning out the announcement that she was now, officially, the first Human Spectre.

* * *

_One Week Later_

The boy squealed in excitement.

"She sure does love him."

Samantha smiled, looking out over the yard to the lake that sat on her parents' property. "Yes. She does."

She watched Shepard tickle Adam once again, then scoop him up and run along the dock for the water. He giggled in her arms, squealing again as she tossed him into the water. He landed with a splash next to Liara, Shepard diving in a moment later. They were teaching him how to swim, and had discovered that he  _loved_  it when Shepard launched him into the water like this.

"You said that he has a grown sister?"

Samantha turned around to face her mother, who sat on the porch of her house with one hand petting Baxter's head. The dog whined; he could not go swimming in the lake because his cybernetic leg was far too new, having only been installed a week before. Once he was used to it, his therapy done, it could have a permanent waterproof casing installed, but until then, it needed to remain open for adjustments to be made to the hardware as he grew accustomed to it. It could get wet, but for now it could not be submerged.

"Yes. Two, actually. It's… complicated, how they're related to him, but their father was the man who… purchased me."

"I see." Her mother grew silent, contemplative, watching Shepard, Liara, and Adam play in the water. Samantha came to sit next to her mother after several minutes, taking her hand and looking earnestly into her face.

"Mum, we  _can_  talk about it, you know. It was painful, but a lot of happiness came from it, too."

"It's just… unimaginable, happening to my only baby," her mother murmured, her eyes gathering moisture that she tried desperately to not let fall. "I do not know how I would handle it…"

"Well, I am handling the best I can. I have the most wonderful child I could ask for, and two women who I know love both of us very much. I know it's unorthodox, but this is my family, Mum. It grew out of adversity, and gave me strength when I thought I would never have any ever again."

"Oh, Samantha, do you think I disapprove? This isn't the Victorian Era; I have no qualms with your unorthodox family. I just find it difficult to talk about the other part…"

"My captivity? I understand. I have a hard time, as well. But I gained my family out of it – it is our history. If Adam can process something like that, then I think we'll all be okay."

Her mother smiled. "If you say so. I imagine it will just take some time to get used to. A week ago, we still thought you were dead, after all."

"Yes, you should be easier on yourself, Mum."

Her mother smiled again. "I will try. Now, come." She sniffed and wiped her cheeks. She'd managed to hold back most of the tears. "We should help your father with dinner if we want to eat before it gets dark."

She followed her mother into their new home, letting the feeling of home, of family, wash over her as the sounds of her new family came to her from outside.

Yes, she was home, for what felt like the first time.


	15. Chapter 15

Shepard strummed her mandolin as the sun rose. She remembered when James had surprised her with it. He had carried it up to her, along with her cowboy hat, on her wedding day, and they had gotten smashed and played with the band until Samantha and Liara had dragged her away to leave for their honeymoon.

She smiled at the memory. James, Steve, and Jack had traveled with Miranda to secure her father's estate after Miranda had officially inherited it, and, unbeknownst to Shepard, he had retrieved the prized items they had left behind in their rush to get the fuck out. He'd waited until the wedding to finally return them to her. Since then, she had made it a habit to be out serenading the sun whenever she was home on leave.

Home. Her heart swelled just thinking about it. She didn't think she'd ever have a home again after Mindoir. Instead, the two slaves she had saved twenty years before, along with their son, had pulled her into their family, forging a bond that had only strengthened with time. Honestly, what she had called "love" back then was almost laughable as compared with what she felt now.

"Lola!" Shepard stopped playing, turning to face the source of the cry. A small asari child, one of her daughters, came running barefooted across the lawn. She smiled and set the mandolin down on the wooden picnic table she was sitting on, getting up and holding her arms out to grab the girl as she collided with the Spectre.

"Oof! There you are, kiddo! I woke you up half an hour ago!" Shepard held the girl back from her to get a good look at her. She was thirteen years old, on par with a seven-year-old human, and still thought that throwing herself into Shepard's arms was an okay thing.

"Well, you didn't cuddle. You  _always_  wake me up by cuddling." The small asari pouted up at her as she spoke.

Shepard laughed and nuzzled the girl's neck. "That's because I always wake you up  _after_  I'm done playing, Denna. You asked me to wake you up today  _before_  the sun came up."

"You could have carried me out…"

Shepard sighed. Her youngest just didn't want to grow up. She supposed she didn't mind, not really, but she wasn't used to having a child who still wanted to be carried everywhere. Denna's sisters had never been this clingy, even as babies. Adam had, but he had somewhat unique abilities, and had been the only child around for quite a few years. They'd had Denna tested for those same abilities, thinking maybe she was so clingy because she was just reacting to their emotions, but she didn't have them; she was just a classic "baby" of the family.  _That's_ _gonna change soon..._

"You're right, I could have. I'm sorry. But you're out here, now. You wanna sit with me while I play?" The child nodded. "Alright, you sit here, and I'll play anything you want."

It was another hour before the duo made it into the house, following the smell of bacon and eggs into the kitchen. Denna ran to the table, scrambling into her booster seat as the rest of the children, all sitting around the table with plates in front of them, called their greeting to Shepard. She stopped to examine them after she'd hung her mandolin on the wall.

Here she was, an only child, married to two only children, and she had a family of four children and counting. She supposed it helped that they essentially had three mothers, even if Shepard was gone on assignment a lot. Up until recently, Samantha had been assigned to Shepard's ship, too, and when Adam was still young, would take him with her when he wasn't in school. Liara would accompany them from time to time, when she wasn't at the Mars archives. Then their family had expanded, and she had chosen to spend more and more of her time with the two children and Samantha's parents on Horizon, doing much of her research from there.

Their family had only grown since then. There was Adam, now twenty-four and visiting home alongside Shepard. Then there was Anna, Samantha's second child – thanks to a donation from their  _tío_  Estebán and Diego – named for Shepard's mother, about to turn eighteen and ship off for boot camp with the Alliance in the next few weeks. Then came Benezia, Liara's first child, seventeen and named for Liara's mother; and Denna, named for Samantha's late mother. Denna was the only one of the two asari children whose father they were sure of; she had Shepard's piercing green eyes underneath Liara's signature brow-markings. Plus, she and Shepard were too alike for her to not have fathered the child: strong-willed, reckless, and she took to their horses like a fish to water.

She greeted Samantha at the stove with a kiss. "Hey, where's Liara?"

"Still asleep," Samantha answered, handing Shepard a plate loaded down with food. "I try to let her sleep as much as possible these days – it's so hard for her to sleep when she's this far along, and I thought I'd let her get as much rest as she could on a day like today."

Shepard nodded, taking her plate and moving to sit next to Adam. "How you doin', buddy?"

He smiled nervously. "I'm okay. Just nervous, I guess."

She studied her son for a moment. He kept playing with his food, like he'd never done before. He was usually a very healthy eater, having learned as a slave that if food was available, you ate it, because you weren't always guaranteed that it  _would_  be available. Not that that had been his reality since he was four, but it was rather deeply ingrained. And yet, here he sat, pushing his food around on his plate, nerves clearly hijacking his appetite.

"Right. C'mon, come eat with me outside." And she grabbed his plate, dragging him outside before a protest could be voiced.

"So what is it? Tell me." She sat him at the picnic table she and Denna had occupied earlier, thrusting his food into his hands.

He sighed. "I dunno. It's just…"

Shepard looked at him sternly. "Spit it out. You know I'm not gonna think less of you."

"Our family's just so fucked up," he sighed, finally taking a bite of his food. "I just can't figure out  _why_  she wants to join it."

Shepard could only blink. She hadn't been expecting that. He was right, of course – their family was more than just a little  _interesting_ , with all its twists and turns. She thought for a moment.

"You're right. It  _is_  fucked up." She cuffed him on the shoulder as he smiled, chuckling herself. "But she loves  _you_. She  _puts up with_  us. Maybe she figures, if this family made you how you are, then we can't be all  _that_  bad."

"That's basically what she said," he conceded, looking out on the lake. He remembered their first meeting with his mother's parents here, and how Shepard and Liara had taught him to swim. "Her parents still don't approve, though…" He sighed again, resting his chin in his hands, elbows on the table.

"Yeah, well, they can suck it." That had been Shepard's response to anyone and everyone who  _disapproved_  of her three-way marriage. She left unsaid, for Adam's sake, that she probably had a way better sex-life than the people he was talking about – Liara's late accidental pregnancy proved  _that_. "They're coming, right?"

"You know they are. They're staying in the guest house with  _Abuelo_  Thy, much to their chagrin." He smiled faintly as he spoke the last. The woman was incorrigible, with a foul mouth and a biting sense of humor. She, Shepard, and James had gotten drunk together once and been best friends ever since, driving Liara crazy every step of the way.

"Then it's fine. If they really disapproved, they wouldn't be here, supporting her marriage to you."

He sighed. "Yeah. I guess I'm just not looking forward to feeling it radiating off of them throughout the entire evening."

Shepard laughed. "Just try to focus on the feelings your  _wife_  is feeling, alright? Damn, I've wished I had your abilities once or twice. Thank God for Liara's ability to meld, or this would  _never_  have worked…"

Adam rolled his eyes, let out the requisite "Ew," and downed the rest of his breakfast. They stayed out there for a while, Shepard knowing that he could use the calm of just the two of them over the frenzied excitement brewing in the house.

Finally, at the urging of the rest of her children, she got up, ambling inside to get the day underway.


End file.
